Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has shown his displeasure with absence of most of the ruling party members from the National Assembly session. Opposition parties stage walkout from the National Assembly every day against the absence of the prime minister from the house and then point out quorum. Sources told Daily Times that Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Asif Kirmani had given a clear message on behalf of the prime minister to the lawmakers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz to make sure their presence in the National Assembly so that opposition does not succeed in disrupting the session on the basis of quorum. The chief whip of the ruling party, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab’s efforts to maintain the quorum did not succeed and he conveyed to Prime Minister’s Office that most MNAs did not pay attention to his request to attend the National Assembly session. He said that he was even calling every MNA individually to attend the session, the sources said. The PML-N and its allies have the majority with 212 members in the National Assembly and only 86 members are needed to complete the quorum. The total strength of the assembly is 342. The opposition cannot disrupt the session citing quorum if only ruling party members are present in the house. The ruling party has 185 members in the house. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has taken serious notice of this situation and directed the chief whip as well as Law Minister Zahid Hamid to make sure that opposition does not succeed in disrupting the session, the sources said.