PTI walks out of NA to press for probe bodies
• Five bills introduced as the house takes up 11 of the 57 items on the day’s agenda
• NA speaker consults treasury, opposition members on Public Accounts Committee chairman’s post
ISLAMABAD: The members of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday continued their noisy protest on the floor of the National Assembly demanding judicial probe into the May 9 and Nov 26 incidents and disrupted the proceedings by pointing out lack of quorum.
However, during the brief proceedings amid sloganeering and desk-thumping by the opposition members, the assembly witnessed the introduction of five bills, besides a response from a parliamentary secretary on a calling attention notice “regarding lack of funds for essential services” including transportation for special children and utility payments in the directorate general of special education, Islamabad.
NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq suspended the proceedings for 15 minutes after declaring the house not in order when PTI’s Dr Nisar Ahmed pointed out lack of quorum after a walkout by his colleagues.
Later, the house met after nearly half an hour under Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah who ordered a headcount as per the rules.
Interestingly, the deputy speaker announced that the quorum was complete as 100 members were present in the house against the required presence of 84 members, but instead of carrying out the remaining agenda item, he adjourned the session till Wednesday (today) at 2pm.
Out of the 57 items on the agenda, the house could only take up 11 items, including introduction of five bills, all moved by woman members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
The opposition members entered the house carrying colourful and printed placards inscribed with slogans like “Release Imran Khan”, “Constitute Judicial Commissions on May 9 and Nov 26”and Goli Kyun Chalayi (why bullets were fired). The members kept on sloganeering and desk-thumping for nearly 30 minutes before staging a walkout leaving behind MNA Nisar Ahmed to point out lack of quorum.
The speaker regretted the opposition’s act of pointing out the quorum, stating that it had been agreed in a meeting that the PTI would not point out quorum during the Question Hour and the private member’s day.
Introduction of bills
PPP lawmaker Shazia Marri introduced a bill seeking to amend the Zakat and Ushr Ordinance 1980 in its application to Islamabad Capital Territory, the Zakat and Ushr (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Capital Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2025 seeking accessibility for the disabled persons to the buildings in Islamabad.
MNA Sharmila Farooqui introduced the Islamabad Capital Territory Dowry Restraint Bill 2025, seeking to prohibit giving, taking or demanding dowry. She also introduced the Islamabad Animal Protection Bill 2025 aimed at ensuring the natural rights and protection of animals in the capital city.
Sehar Kamran of the PPP moved the National Commission on the Rights of Child (Amendment) Bill 2025.
All the bills were referred to the relevant standing committees by the chair as Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar did not oppose them.
Speaker’s meeting with opposition
Later, the NA speaker along with treasury members held a meeting with the opposition members in the open space of parliament’s cafeteria.
Those attended the meeting included deputy speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah, Syed Khurshid Shah and Naveed Qamar of the PPP, Bilal Azhar Kayani, Malik Abrar and Dr Darshan of the PML-N and Aamir Dogar and Sher Ali Arbab of the PTI.
When contacted, PTI’s Asad Qaiser said the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the issue of the selection of the chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC). He said the PTI had categorically told the government that the party had nominated Sheikh Waqqas Akram as the PAC chairman and that it would not withdraw his name.
The PAC has been non-functional since the general elections in February 2024, as the PML-N government wanted the PTI to nominate Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan for the office as per the past tradition in line with the 2006 charter of democracy.
On the other hand, the PTI has insisted on the name of its firebrand MNA from Jhang Sheikh Waqqas Akram for the key position.
Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2025