ISLAMABAD, Sept 5: A government move to undo a parliamentary defeat backfired in the National Assembly on Monday, sparking more opposition protests forcing an early adjournment of the house in commotion. Opposition members said they would continue their protest when the house meets again on Tuesday morning against a government motion adopted by the ruling coalition majority to rescind a lower house refusal a week ago to condone a delay in the presentation of a standing committee report on a government bill.
The government suffered an embarrassing double defeat on the present session’s opening day on Aug 29 when its motion on condonation was defeated in the house because of large-scale absence of treasury members and then a walkout by its members failed to block an opposition-sought debate on the alleged rigging of the two rounds of local bodies’ elections last month.
A furore erupted in the house after deputy speaker Sardar Mohammad Yaqub, who presided over Monday evening’s proceedings, ignored opposition protests and ordered a vote on Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Khan Niazi’s motion asking the house to rescind its Aug 29 rejection of the condonation request.
The ruling coalition had sufficient majority in the house and passed the motion while several members of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) stood up, saying there should have been a debate before the vote.
While several opposition members went up to the speaker’s rostrum to argue with the chair against the vote, ruling coalition chief whip Nasrullah Khan Dreshak moved a second motion for the actual condonation of the delay in the presentation of the report by the Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue on the bill seeking repeal of the National Development Finance Corporation Act of 1973.
But no vote on the second motion could be held before the chair adjourned the house until 10am on Tuesday. Opposition members said that on Tuesday they would also challenge the authenticity of a letter from standing committee chairman Chaudhry Anwar Ali Cheema authorising Mr Dreshak to move the condonation motion on his behalf.
MMA WALKOUT: Earlier, members of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) staged a token walkout to protest against the deputy speaker’s refusal to immediately hold an opposition-sought debate on the latest rise in the petroleum prices.
The opposition benches were not satisfied with the deputy Speaker’s assurance to allow the debate on opposition adjournment motions on the issue on Tuesday, but the MMA walkout was not joined by other opposition members, including those of the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-(N).
While the MMA was out of the house, PPP members also protested against five presidential ordinances laid before the house by the parliamentary affairs minister and accused President Pervez Musharraf of bypassing parliament by issuing decrees and leading the country towards a presidential system of government.
