ISLAMABAD, Aug 16: The quorum syndrome again hit the Senate on Thursday, as the bell ringing was followed by a hour-long break before the treasury lawmakers were herded into the house to start the proceedings.

The house, which started its proceedings half an hour late, could not proceed as the Awami National Party lawmaker Asfandyar Wali pointed out the lack of quorum.

The combined opposition staged an en bloc walkout to protest the chronic absence of ministers, leaving the chair with no option but to suspend the proceedings immediately after the recitation from the Holy Quran was over.

The government was taken to task for having the largest ever cabinet but failing to ensure the presence of a sufficient number of ministers in the house.

Senator Safdar Abbasi of the PPP was on his feet to draw the chair’s attention towards the vacant front seats of the ministers when the first question was taken up. Only agriculture minister Sikandar Bosan was present in the house.

Leader of the opposition Mian Raza Rabbani pointed out that ministers were not prepared to represent the government in the house, alleging rampant corruption attached to them continued to unfold.

ANP’s Ilyas Ahmad Bilour said the chair had given ruling on the presence of ministers in the Senate several times but they have now made it a tradition not to attend its proceedings come what may.

Asfandyar said they would continue pointing out the quorum as long as the ministers stuck to their habit of staying away from the house.

Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Senator Abdur Rahim Khan Mandokhel said the ministers wanted to run away from the house but the opposition would not let them to do so.