ISLAMABAD: On the last day of the coalition government, lawmakers in the National Assembly expressed their helplessness and failure in meeting the expectations of the masses over the past 16 months.

In the session, PTI dissidents lashed out at the previous government and ex-prime minister Imran Khan for creating a “hostile environment” and promoting political instability during the previous four years, while ex-premier and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, as well as former opposition leader and PPP legislator Syed Khursheed Shah, expressed failure of the coalition government on all fronts.

Interestingly, the lawmakers criticised hasty legislation that had started last month and continued till the last day of the National Assembly, mostly regarding the setting up of new universities.

Ex-PM Abbasi termed the passage of a heap of university bills as an “embarrassment” to the parliament. Blaming NA speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for facilitating the movers of the bills, he said he should have blocked such legislation.

He also slammed both the PTI government and the PDM coalition for not addressing people’s problems. “Whatever legislation was made during last five years were not meant for the people, but for the government,” he remarked.

Abbasi terms outgoing NA’s five-year tenure ‘worst’ in Pakistan’s history

Speaking outside the assembly, Mr Abbasi termed the five-year-long term of the National Assembly during the PTI and PDM governments the “worst in Pakistan’s history”, Dawn.com reported.

“The performance of this house has been very disappointing,” he said, adding that “bills passed by the house were not read oftentimes” and the use of verbal abuses was now rife in politics.

“Unfortunately, they have neither understood parliament nor parliamentary norms, neither have they understood democracy nor democratic norms,” he said, adding that the nation was now “getting rid” of this NA.

In his speech, PPP lawmaker Khursheed Shah said he would endorse whatever Mr Abbasi had just stated on the floor of the house, but would remind the parliament “worst democracy is better than best dictatorship”. He also expressed displeasure over the passage of varsity bills.

Similar views were expressed by a PTI dissident, Afzal Dhandla and Public Accounts Committee chairman Noor Alam Khan. The latter said after coming to parliament, leaders forgot their oath and got involved in promoting provincialism for political point-scoring.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2023