ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: A key minister’s absence from the Senate sparked an opposition walkout and suspension of proceedings at the beginning of Wednesday’s session before peace returned to the upper house after opposition and ruling parties attended inaugural meting of the parliamentary committee on quake response.

The opposition walked out of the house to protest against the absence of Parliamentary Affair Minister Sher Afgan Niazi who, as the minister in charge of the prime minister’s secretariat, was supposed to answer the

first question on the agenda, seeking information about the number of people killed and injured in the October 8 earthquake and compensation paid to survivors.

The rare walkout during the question hour left the 100-seat upper house without quorum, forcing Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro to suspend the proceedings for half an hour after the deficiency was pointed out by opposition Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Senator Ishaq Dar who had stayed in the house for this purpose.

It was during this interval that opposition members from both the National Assembly and the Senate included in the bipartisan committee to review post-quake relief and reconstruction work went to attend the meeting in a committee room at parliament house.

The proceedings remained comparatively peaceful after resumption for a series of points of order, a discussion on the planned privatisation of the Pakistan Steel and continuing debate on the quake after the house was adjourned until 10:30am on Thursday.

When the opposition members returned to the house, those on the treasury benches greeted them by desk thumping and words of congratulation.

Opposition leader Raza Rabbani clarified that opposition members had attended the meeting as joint opposition rather than individual members and for an ‘informal exchange of views.’ They would make a final decision about their association with the committee after the government removed their reservations concerning the terms of reference of the body and supremacy of parliament.

Leader of the house Wasim Sajjad endorsed Mr Rabbani’s version of the committee proceedings and expressed hope that both sides would cooperate to lessen the sufferings of quake victims in Azad Kashmir and North West Frontier Province.

Only three senators spoke in the debate on earthquake, two of them being Prof Ghafoor Ahmed and Liaqat Bangulzai of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal. Their speeches included demands for a cut in military spending and more facilities for the survivors such as cheaper building materials, a five-year exemption from payment of utility bills and encouragement of cottage industries.

Prof Ghafoor praised the role of the army as well Muslim and other countries in relief work.

Suggestions from Senator Prof Mohammad Saeed Siddiqi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement included creation of federal and provincial agencies to deal with natural calamities, geological and seismic surveys by national and international agencies, review of building codes, coordination of relief efforts and training of volunteers.