ISLAMABAD, Jan 4: As many as 107 members in the National Assembly, out of the total 342, did not speak a single word during assembly sessions in the 2006 year. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz spoke for only 56 minutes and ruling PML’s president and parliamentary leader Chaudhry Shujaat spoke only for 20 minutes.

Data compiled by the National Assembly secretariat shows most cabinet members, the largest in the country’s history, never spoke in the fourth parliamentary year.

The ‘mute’ ministers included Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal, State Minister for Youth Affairs Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, State Minister for Defence Khalid Lund, Defence Production Minister Habibullah Warraich, State Minister for Industry Ali Nawaz Mehr and State Minister for Food and Agriculture M. A. Malkani.

About 22 ministers and veteran personalities also remained silent. They are: Former president Sardar Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari , Parliament’s Kashmir Committee chairman Hamid Nasir Chattha, Public Accounts Committee chairman Malik Allah Yar Khan, Deputy Speaker Sardar Yaqub, PML chief whip Sardar Nasurullah Dareshek, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Environment Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat, Women Development Minister Sumaira Malik, Social Welfare Minister Zubaida Jalal, Food and Agriculture Minister Sikandar Hayat Bosan, Industry and Production Minister Jahangir Tareen.

PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan remained the most outspoken in the fourth year, followed by MMA leader Liaqat Baloch.

Mr Ahsan spoke for five hours and 31 minutes and Mr Baloch four hours and 28 minutes.

Another MMA leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmad spoke for three hours and 28 minutes.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan Niazi spoke for two hours and 24 minutes during the year.—Online