ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday adjourned the National Assembly session sine die after failing to take up any agenda item due to lack of quorum as the opposition members continued their boycott of the proceedings over the delay in the presentation of the Fata reforms bill.

It was for the eighth time that the government had to adjourn the sitting due to lack of quorum since the announcement by the opposition on Dec 11 to boycott the proceedings of the house as a mark of protest when the government at the eleventh hour mysteriously changed the agenda of the session and withdrew the bill seeking to extend the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the Peshawar High Court to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi started reading out the presidential prorogation order soon after he was informed by the secretariat staff following a headcount that the house lacked quorum as 86 members (one-fourth of the total 342 members) were not present in the assembly hall.

At the outset of the session, the parliamentary leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Naveed Qamar, took the floor and regretted that the government had not placed the Fata reforms bill on the agenda despite the assurance by the speaker to do so and, therefore, they had no other option but to continue their boycott. He said it seemed that the government wanted to make decisions only under pressure and through sit-ins.

PTI threatens to adopt a strong plan of action

As the opposition members were leaving the house, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq gave the floor to Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) retired Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch who once again stated that the government was committed to implementing the Fata reforms package, adding that the consultations were in the final stages and the bill would soon be presented in the house.

“When we have already waited for 70 long years (for it), then please wait for a little more and give (us) some more time,” he said.

Mr Baloch said the PML-N government would definitely introduce reforms in the tribal areas and would not allow anyone to take the credit for it. He said that there was a difference of opinion only on the issue of extending the jurisdiction of the courts in Fata whereas there had been complete consensus on all the other recommendations of the special committee which had suggested a number of steps to mainstream the restive tribal areas.

As the minister took his seat, PPP’s Ramesh Lal returned to the house and pointed out lack of quorum.

PML-N member from Fata Shahabuddin Khan was asking for the floor when the PPP member pointed out the quorum.

Later, talking to reporters outside the Parliament House, Shahabuddin Khan said that he wanted to announce his resignation from the assembly as a mark of protest over the delay in the presentation of the Fata reforms bill, but he was not given the opportunity.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Thursday hinted at launching a movement for the implementation of the reforms package for the tribal areas that also includes merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to an official announcement by the PTI’s media department, Mr Khan had decided “to adopt a strong plan of action” for the betterment of the people of Fata.

The PTI chairman has asked party legislators to raise a strong voice for the Fata people in the legislatures and directed party’s deputy secretary general Murad Saeed to devise “an alternative strategy” in this regard.

“If the government does not make any progress towards Fata reforms, it will have to face a strong reaction and no leniency will be shown to the rulers,” said Mr Saeed in a statement.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2017