ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: In a last-minute change of tactics, opposition parties in the National Assembly skipped their complaint against the alleged insult of a woman member by a minister and instead pressed on their noisy protest against the Legal Framework Order on Monday.
Opposition members continued desk-thumping and slogan-chanting against President Pervez Musharraf and the LFO during the entire proceedings of about one-and-a-half hours when the lower house met after a two-day recess.
However, despite the noisy protest, Speaker Amir Hussain stoically disposed of the agenda set for the third sitting of the current session that began on Wednesday.
The opposition was earlier expected to press for a debate on a privilege motion it had submitted against alleged attempt to attack PPP’s Naheed Khan by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Raza Hayat Hiraj in the previous sitting on Friday.
The state minister had also planned to bring a privilege motion, accusing Naheed Khan of using abusive language against him on Friday.
The ARD and the MMA decided not to press the privilege motion to keep the focus on the LFO, an opposition spokesman told a news conference after the speaker adjourned the session till Tuesday morning.
However, another MMA leader, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, said the speaker was likely to send both the motions to a privileges committee to settle the matter.
The opposition has called for an apology from Mr Hiraj, who has rejected the demand.
During Monday’s proceedings, the speaker allowed two members of the treasury benches to move privilege motions about alleged misbehaviour of a motorway police official in one case and official wrongdoing in another. But the movers did not press their motions following assurances that inquiries would be conducted.
An opposition source said the speaker might have decided to keep the motions pending because of an opposition boycott of a house business advisory committee, which meets before every sitting to discuss the agenda for the day.
ARD parliamentary party leader and PML-N acting president Javed Hashmi said later the opposition had boycotted the business advisory committee to protest against the speaker’s failure to protect the honour of members.
He said the opposition would boycott the committee also on Tuesday because the speaker had not prevented another PPP-Patriots member, Tanvir Hussain Syed, from using objectionable language against opposition’s women members on Monday nor expunged his remarks.
“What is the use of the committee when the speaker cannot protect a member’s honour?” Mr Hashmi asked.
As they did in the past, the opposition members rose in their seats and began desk-thumping and chanting “go Musharraf go”, “no LFO no” as soon as the speaker called for the start of the question hour after recitation from the holy Quran.
They came to the house wearing stickers reading “amriyat murdabad” (down with dictatorship) on their chests or arms.
After a break for Maghreb prayers, opposition resumed its protest until the speaker adjourned the house until 10am on Tuesday.
The protest was noisier and much longer than the brief shouting on the previous two sittings.