ISLAMABAD, Jan 3: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Saturday submitted a requisition notice to the National Assembly Secretariat to summon the session of the lower house to discuss the prevailing energy crisis and law and order situation in the country.
The notice carrying the signatures of 91 PML-N members was handed over to the secretary National Assembly by party’s chief whip Sheikh Aftab Ahmed. MNAs from Rawalpindi and Islamabad Malik Ibrar, Haji Pervez Khan and Anjum Aqeel Khan were also present on the occasion.
Talking to a group of reporters at the Parliament House after submission of the requisition notice, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said his party did not want to destabilise the PPP-led government at the Centre. However, he opined that it was the responsibility of the government to improve the situation. He regretted that the country was facing serious energy crisis and the government was unable to control the situation. He said it was strange that the government reacted only when people in various cities came out on streets to protest against loadshedding and gas shortage.
Chaudhry Nisar said though Gen Pervez Musharraf had been ousted and a new person was sitting at the Presidency, but still the decisions were not being taken in the parliament. He said the country was still far away from the democratic parliamentary system.
He said it was after 18 years that the requisition notice signed by the members of only one party had been submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat.
Replying to a question, he said the PML-N had so far not prepared the draft of the proposed 18th Constitution Amendment Bill aimed at repealing the controversial 17th Constitution Amendment incorporated during the Musharraf regime.
In response to another question, he said the PML-N would not sit idle if any attempt was made to destabilise the party’s government in Punjab. He evaded a question regarding the possibility of the merger of the Q and N factions of the PML.
The PML-N has submitted a four-point agenda with the requisition notice and the speaker is bound to convene the session of the |National Assembly within 14 days of the receipt of the notice. Through the requisition notice, the PML-N wants debate on prevailing energy crisis, law and order situation in the country, no reduction in the prices of petroleum products despite decline in international market and recent Israeli raids on Gaza.
It may be recalled that the government had already moved a summary to the Presidency for convening the session of the National Assembly on January 12.
Federal Minister for |Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis Syed Khurshid Shah also met Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan at his Parliament House chamber after submission of the requisition notice by the PML-N members.