Daily Times

The Lower House of the parliament on Monday was marred by rucks as treasury members thumped desks and chanted slogans against arrest and alleged victimization of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders by Sindh government in Karachi.

As the National Assembly proceeding started after question hour, Speaker Asad Qaiser took up the agenda items related to laying of different bills in the House. As the speaker started reading bills, desk thumping and sloganeering started in the House.

Smelling a rumpus in the House, the speaker had already turned the business towards laying of bills instead of taking up other agenda items, including calling attention notices and different motions. “It’s better to take up bills first and later the other agenda items will be carried out,” he announced, and hurriedly started reading the bills one by one.

Meanwhile, a lack of quorum was pointed out by an opposition member. However, after head count, the quorum was found complete. The speaker laid around 13 bills and motions approved and referred by different standing committees.

The treasury members chanted slogans against the Sindh government and some of them also gathered around the speaker’s dais. Later, they moved towards PPP leader Agha Rafi ud Din. A scuffle between PTI members and Rafi ud Din also broke out when opposition members were out of the House and counting was underway to determine the quorum.

The speaker, however, did not pay any heed towards the rucks and continued the business. He hurriedly read the bills and announced the adjournment of session till today (Tuesday).

A few days back, anti-terrorism department of Sindh had arrested Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh over alleged violence during by-elections in Karachi. Haleem later claimed that a snake was found in the lock-up where he was detained after his arrest, which, he claimed, was deliberately left in his cell under a conspiracy to kill him on the directives of PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.