ISLAMABAD Sept 1: The government on Friday faced dual embarrassment in the National Assembly. In the absence of opposition, it could not hold a regular session for want of quorum and Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain reprimanded treasury members for showing lack of seriousness.
The opposition stayed away from the house as it had already announced a boycott of Friday’s proceedings. It, however, failed to stage a planned sit-in outside the parliament house for unexplained reasons.
An official lawmaker created quite a furore by speaking in support of Punjab and Punjabis in the context of Balochistan crisis. Akbar Vaince of the PML took the floor on a point of order and criticised the coalition parliamentary group for not turning up in sufficient numbers to complete the quorum.
In a voice full of emotions Mr Vaince said: “Let every one know Punjabis are being slain in Balochistan although they are not the sinners.”
Former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali was in favour of continuing the house proceedings till the quorum was complete as he wanted to speak on the issue. He was, however, not allowed by the speaker who said he could not run the house under the rules.
When the house resumed its proceedings at 10.28am, there were only 19 members present, including four opposition MNAs and two senator ministers. Before the counting for quorum, MQM’s Abdul Qadir Khanzada raised the issue of reported abduction, humiliation and torture of an 11-year-old daughter of one Hakim Ghulam Ali by Hijra tribe in Kot Addu.
Minister of State for Interior Zafar Iqbal Warriach assured the house that the matter had been taken notice of and would be investigated. The speaker asked the federal government to take up the issue with the provincial government for inquiry and appropriate action.
The opposition pointed out a few minutes after the start of the session that quorum was not complete. The speaker ordered ringing of bells and later adjourned the house till Monday afternoon.
Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) lawmakers Hafiz Hussain Ahmed and Liaquat Baloch did come to the house briefly to point out that the current NA session was to be prorogued on August 31. They said if it was to be extended then the house business advisory committee should have been convened for it.
Mr Baloch said the government was issuing contradictory statements about retrieving and handing over the body of Nawab Bugti and had now buried it in Quetta. He said that while the combined opposition had upheld its pledges made during the committee meeting on Aug 29, the day the no-trust motion was moved, the treasury benches tried their best to provoke them.