Daily Times

The National Assembly on Monday once again witnessed an utter disorder when treasury benches staged massive protest during Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif’s address to the House.

The proceedings were marred by chants and slogans from the treasury benches against the opposition leader. Chaos continued in the House as Speaker Asad Qaiser repeatedly urged Shehbaz Sharif to start his speech on the federal budget.

As the session of the Lower House began, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmakers, including Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, rose on their seats with play cards inscribed with demand for issuance of production orders of detained MNAs, including Asif Ali Zardari. They did not allow Shehbaz Sharif to even begin his general debate on budget. After some time, the speaker allowed PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to speak just for one minute. But the PTI members did not allow him to speak and starting shouting in the House. Amid ruckus, the speaker again gave floor to Shehbaz Sharif. The PTI members kept shouting in the House while the PML-N lawmakers made videos from their cellphones. The speaker requested the PTI members to sit on their seats and stay calm but no one followed his instructions.

In his short address, Leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif demanded NA speaker to issue the production orders of former president Asif Ali Zardari and other detained opposition lawmakers. He also claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan in his address to the nation has threatened the opposition.

As Shahbaz Sharif started his speech, the treasury members again started shouting. The speaker warned the treasury members of adjourning the session if they did not stop shouting and sit on their chairs. However, the treasury members refused to listen to the speaker. Later, the speaker adjourned the session till Tuesday (today).

Speaking outside the National Assembly, PML-N leader Khawaja Asif said the session was once again adjourned due to chaos created by the lawmakers. “It’s the responsibility of the government to run the House but their own lawmakers are protesting in the assembly,” he said. He said usually opposition makes hue and cry in the National Assembly, but things are going in the opposite direction this time. “The government has totally failed in every sector, including economy, cricket and politics. Government itself does not want to run the assembly,” he claimed. “If civilian government fails to perform properly, only then the third force gets an opportunity to intervene,” he warned.

Kh Asif said Prime Minister Imran Khan has himself given instructions to the PTI members to make hue and cry in the assembly, which, he said, is disastrous for the country and the democracy.

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that NA Speaker Asad Qaiser didn’t allow opposition benches to speak in the House. “Treasury benches are using different tactics just to divert the attention from the budget,” he said. “This is unfortunate that the government did not allow the opposition leader to speak over budget in the House. The government itself does not want to let the budget pass in the assembly,” he remarked.

Earlier, PPP senators held a sit-in outside the speaker’s office to protest against the non-issuance of production orders of the party’s co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, who is currently in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan later told a press conference that so-called champions of democracy have tried to use parliament as a shield and made mockery of the democracy by confining the National Assembly speaker in his chamber. She said that the government with the support of its allies will not only get the budget passed from the National Assembly but also achieve the targets set in it. To a question, she said that issuance of production order of detained member is prerogative of the speaker and the government has nothing to do with it. “If the production orders of the detained legislators are issued, the government will make arrangements for their arrival in the session,” she added.

State Minister for Revenue Hamad Azhar told media outside the parliament that the government has no problem with the passage of the budget. “The numbers are complete with the government,” he claimed.

PTI MNA Farrukh Habib told journalists that the looters have made a system wherein no one can ask them about their assets. “Nawaz Sharif and sons, Ishaq Dar, Salman and others are now absconding. Today all departments are independent to take action against all culprits and these looters have no way to escape,” he added.