ISLAMABAD: Recurring chaos in National Assembly’s budget session has brought opposition parties closer, Pakistan Today has learnt.
According to sources, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Shehbaz Sharif met Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday. The meeting was arranged by Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Yousaf Raza Gillani.
During the meeting they decided to move a no-confidence motion jointly against NA Speaker Asad Qaiser after two days of ruckus in the lower house of the parliament.
They said that Tuesday’s proceedings in the NA marked the “darkest day for democracy in Pakistan’s history,” according to the sources.
“The speaker has failed to fulfil his constitutional, legal, democratic, and parliamentary responsibilities […] he is the protector of every parliament member, but [he has failed in his duties] and is not qualified to hold office any more,” the sources quoted the opposition leaders as saying this. In this regard, the joint opposition leaders also agreed to form a committee that would be tasked with tabling the motion. However, the names of its members are under deliberation.
They demanded that a parliamentary committee be established with equal representation — from treasury and opposition benches — to probe the ruckus that had transpired in parliament. The joint opposition also rejected the NA speaker’s decision to ban seven members of the lower house who used foul language in Tuesday’s session.
Earlier, seven members of the lower house, including three from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, will not be able to access parliament after throwing budget document and expletives at each other during a session, Speaker Asad Qaiser said on Wednesday.
The house took on the appearance of a battleground on Tuesday as an ugly scuffle broke out opposition and treasury MPs clashed during the post-budget address of the opposition leader.
Video clips shared on social media showed Assistant to Prime Minister on Capital Development Authority Affairs Ali Nawaz Awan shouting expletives at an opposition MP and tossing a book at his rival, who hurled it back at him.
In a tweet announcing the development, Speaker Qaiser regretted the “unparliamentary” and “inappropriate” behaviour of the MPs.
گزشتہ روز قومی اسمبلی کے اجلاس اور قائد حزب اختلاف کی تقریر کے دوران خلل پیدا کرنے والے ارکان جن کا رویہ غیر پارلیمانی اور نامناسب تھا ان کے ایوان میں داخلے پر پابندی عائد کردی گئی ہے pic.twitter.com/Gs5kBjWqyI
— Asad Qaiser (@AsadQaiserPTI) June 16, 2021
The parliamentarians include Ali Gohar Khan, Chaudhary Hamid Hameed and Sheikh Rohail Asghar from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz; Faheem Khan, Abdul Majeed Khan, Ali Nawaz Awan from the ruling party and Syed Agha Rafiullah from the PPP. They have been told not to enter the precinct of the House until further orders.
The aforementioned MPs were found to have “violated” the rules of the parliament despite the “repeated direction” of the speaker.
“Therefore, I order for withdrawal of aforesaid Members from the precincts of the National Assembly immediately. These members are required not to enter into the precincts of the Parliament House till further orders,” the statement issued by Qaiser’s office said.
The punishment was meted out after a meeting between Qaiser and Prime Minister Imran Khan the former informed the latter about the incident as well as the latest political situation.
وزیر اعظم عمران خان سے ملاقات میں ملک کی سیاسی صورتحال اور گزشتہ روز قومی اسمبلی میں پیش آنیوالے واقعہ پر بات چیت ہوئی۔وزیراعظم کو واقعہ کی تفصیلات سے آگاہ کیا۔ایوان کا تقدس پامال کرنے والوں کیخلاف بلا تفریق کاروائی کی جائے گی۔
— Asad Qaiser (@AsadQaiserPTI) June 16, 2021
PPP, PML-N ASSURE QIASER OF ‘PLEASENT’ ENVIRONMENT:
Meanwhile, Qaiser also telephoned Sharif and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and exchanged views on keeping the environment in the House “pleasant” during the budget sessions, according to a statement by the National Assembly Secretariat.
اسپیکر @AsadQaiserPTI کا قائد حزب اختلاف @CMShehbaz اور چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی @BBhuttoZardari سے ٹیلیفونک رابطہ ہوا جس میں بجٹ اجلاس کے دوران ایوان کے ماحول کو سازگار رکھنے پر تبادلہ خیال کیا گیا۔ pic.twitter.com/4w9ma6VeyW
— Speaker-National Assembly of Pakistan (@NASpeakerPK) June 16, 2021
During the call, Qaiser said the ruckus was “saddening”, stressing that keeping the environment pleasant was the joint responsibility of the treasury and the opposition.
He urged the parliamentary leaders of all parties to play their role in this regard, the statement said.
Shehbaz and Bilawal agreed with the speaker and assured him of cooperation in keeping the parliament’s environment peaceful, the statement announced.
SHEHBAZ NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK:
On Wednesday, surrounded by sergeants, Shehbaz tried to deliver his speech amid sloganeering from the treasury benches but was cut short.
Meanwhile, Qaiser repeatedly called on the parliamentarians to be seated, but eventually adjourned the session after an object was thrown at the speaker’s dais.
He ordered for whoever had thrown the object to be escorted from the House and said he would take action against the individual responsible.
“I will not conduct this house until both the government and the opposition [settle their matters],” said Qaiser before walking out, adjourning the session till tomorrow.
Shehbaz, during his speech, condemned Monday’s incident and said it was Qaiser’s duty to maintain the sanctity of the House and run it in accordance with the law.
“I want to inform that it was the decision of our party and the opposition that if the opposition’s speeches were peacefully listened to then we would reciprocate and listen to the leader of the House’s speech,” he said, adding that Qaiser had failed to keep the treasury members in check over the last two days.
“I am saddened by your helplessness,” he said, alleging that the behaviour of treasury members had been sanctioned by Prime Minister Imran Khan himself.
Speaking about the incident, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar claimed in a tweet that the opposition had “attacked” within minutes of the session’s start.
He added that PTI lawmaker Muhammad Akram Cheema was also injured by a bottle thrown at him.
“Worried by the economic improvement and popular budget, the opposition wants to run away from discussion on the budget in the House by engaging in confrontation.”
