ISLAMABAD, Aug 21: The combined opposition walked out of Senate on Monday when treasury lawmakers stood up in protest against the reported replacement of the official portrait of Quaid-i-Azam with that of Mufti Mehmud in the office of the leader of opposition in the National Assembly, Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Slogans demanding the sacking of Maulana Fazl and stern action against him for equating his father with the father of the nation were raised in the house.

Half-hearted efforts by the treasury lawmakers sent by the chair failed to bring the opposition senators back to the house, except for Babar Awan of the PPP who returned to point out that the house lacked quorum.

An angry lawmaker said: “Let the opposition walk out and remain out of the house even for 10 days if it was supporting the act of Maulana Fazlur Rehman to replace Quaid’s portrait with that of his father.”

The issue was agitated through an adjournment motion which referred to a news report in an English daily saying that Maulana Fazl had replaced the official portrait of Quaid-i-Azam with that of his father in his assembly chambers.

As senators belonging to the ruling coalition raised slogans, JUI (F) senator from Sindh Dr Khalid Soomro pointed out that he had visited the opposition leader’s chamber and seen the Quaid’s portrait there.

Deputy Chairman Mir Jan Jamali tried to cool down the tempers by saying that the issue should first be probed by the leaders of the opposition and the house but the protesting members continued their protest.

In an effort to defuse the situation, Mir Jamali left his seat for Amjad Abbas of the PML, the mover of the adjournment motion.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Kamil Ali Agha criticised the chair for not allowing a full-fledged debate on an issue which was too dear to his party.

He asked the chair not to tolerate and delay a debate on such a serious issue of national importance and said that “Mufti Mehmud was a respectable man but we cannot compromise on the father of our nation and Pakistan”.

Some treasury members said: “These mullahs have reminded us of their strong opposition to the creation of Pakistan.”

Addressing the chair, Mr Agha said: “You have to respect our emotions. It is a matter of the father of the nation and his portrait is removed from an official room which is not the room of anyone’s father.”

Leader of the Opposition Mian Raza Rabbani tried to end the controversy by saying that “since the matter belongs to other than the upper house it cannot be discussed here”.

Interestingly, no one except the opposition leader spoke for Maulana Fazl although Prof Khurshid Ahmad, Maulana Gul Nasib and many others were in the house.

Treasury members appeared dissatisfied when the chair ruled that the motion be deferred till Tuesday morning during which both sides would complete their independent probe into the matter.

Mr Kamil Ali Agha said: “We will not forgive those who have removed the portrait of our Quaid. This will not be allowed in Pakistan.”

Minister of State for Information Tariq Azeem twice read out the news item while leader of the house Wasim Sajjad also expressed his resentment.

Naeem Chattha of the PML twice took the floor to condemn what he termed the ‘enemies’ of Pakistan who had opposed its creation and had not accepted the reality of the new nation.

Dr Khalid Soomro said there was a need to recheck the health of the news report on the basis of which much was being said. Kamil Ali Agha said he had no doubts about the correction of the report.

Fauzia Fakhruz Zaman regretted that those who had removed the Quaid’s portrait had also done a disservice to Mufti Mehmud who was a respectable politician.

Pir Abdul Khaliq of the MQM supported the demand for a probe into the issue before discussing it in detail.

The combined opposition replied to the treasury’s onslaught by walking out of the house.