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| April 13, 2006 | Thursday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 14, 1427 |
NA debates Karachi killing today
ISLAMABAD, April 12: The National Assembly adjourned on Wednesday without conducting any business to mourn Tuesday’s bomb attack on a Karachi religious rally that killed at least 47 people, including a former house member, after deciding to debate the incident on Thursday.
Wednesday was earlier set for a lower house debate on high prices of essential commodities such as sugar, cooking oil, petroleum products and cement.
But Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain said the issue would now be taken up after Thursday’s debate on the Karachi tragedy, which was also condemned by a meeting of parliamentary leaders he chaired before the house met in the afternoon.
The adjournment was made on a proposal from the president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, in following a tradition to suspend proceedings for a day in the event of the death of a sitting or former member of the house.
Noted Islamic scholar Hafiz Mohammad Taqi, one of those killed in the Karachi bombing, was a former National Assembly member whom the Speaker described as martyr.
Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal president Qazi Hussain Ahmed, his alliance colleague Liaqat Baloch, Nawab Yousaf Talpur of the People’s Party Parliamentarians and Law and Justice Minister Mohammad Wasi Zafar endorsed the PML president’s proposal for adjournment.
An adjournment motion moved by Sahibzada Mohammad Fazal Karim of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on behalf of several members seeking a debate on the Karachi incident was admitted without any objection.
The house also offered prayers for the victims of the bombing.
The meeting Speaker earlier held at his chamber with some parliamentary leaders of the ruling and opposition parties blamed “a handful of terrorists” for disturbing peace and harmony in the country, a statement issued by the National Assembly secretariat said.
“These anti-national and anti-Islamic elements committed a crime against humanity and they want to retard the country’s progress and prosperity by such heinous acts,” it said, summing up the views of the meeting.
PRODUCTION ORDER: The statement said that “in light of views of all the participants” of the meeting, the Speaker decided to issue a production order for detained PML-N MNA Khwaja Saad Rafiq to enable him to attend the National Assembly session.
Mr Rafiq was arrested in February for alleged involvement in violence in Lahore during a protest demonstration against objectionable cartoons of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) published by some European newspapers.
It was not immediately clear whether Mr Rafiq, who denies the charge, will be brought to the house on Thursday.
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