ISLAMABAD, June 6: A PPP senator called on Wednesday for trial of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif under Article 6 of the Constitution for allegedly inciting people against federation.

Saeed Ghani, the PPP senator from Sindh, while taking part in the budget debate after the PML-N members’ sudden boycott of the proceedings, also criticised the judiciary, holding it responsible for lack of foreign investment in the country.

The chronic issue of the ministers’ absence from the proceedings was raised again by members, forcing Deputy Chairman Sabir Baloch to ask the Leader of House Jahangir Badar to ensure presence of ministers at the session on Thursday.

The issue was raised by ANP’s Haji Adeel. Pointing towards empty front rows, he said it appeared that he had been talking to the walls as there was no one to listen to him.

Minutes before the adjournment of the proceedings, PML-N’s Raja Zafarul Haq interrupted Mr Ghani’s speech and accused the chairman of ignoring the list of speakers provided by opposition members.

He claimed it had been decided that the treasury and opposition members would deliver speeches one by one, but the chairman had given the floor to two treasury members consecutively.

Instead of listening to the chairman’s point of view, a pre-determined Mr Haq announced that his party would boycott the proceedings to protest over this `partial attitude’ of the chairman and then led PML-N members to stage a walkout.

“A chief minister is leading protests in his province. There should be an action against the chief minister under Article 6 of the Constitution for inciting the people for a revolt by bringing them on streets,” Mr Ghani said while resuming his speech.

He said that Rs38 billion had gone missing from the accounts of the Punjab government and the accountant general was unable to trace the money.

In reply to PML-N leader Ishaq Dar’s demand for a uniform tax on the agriculture income, he said the PPP could not enforce the tax in Sindh and Balochistan and asked the PML-N to have the courage and impose the tax in Punjab where the PML-N was in power.

The PPP senator said that investors and businessmen had stopped making investment in the country after seeing courts taking suo motu actions on the basis of news reports.