The opposition parties during an unusual parliamentary session on Thursday filed a no-confidence motion against National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri.
Reportedly, 80 items on the agenda were bulldozed and 21 items passed.
The opposition tried their best to have their voices heard — they identified the lack of quorum, surrounded the speaker dias and protested, but despite all that, the “rules were suspended” and the items passed one after the other.
The no-trust resolution against NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri was submitted by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz lawmakers Khurram Dastgir Khan and Muhammad Javed Abbasi under Rule 12 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly.
The opposition lawmakers accused Qasim Suri of running the house “illegally”. They said that Qasim Suri had continued NA proceedings despite the opposition lawmakers pointed out the lack of quorum in the house.
The motion states that all the legislation passed today was done so in an illegal manner and that the voices of the people were suppressed as the opposition was not allowed to speak.
It further states that a person, for whose case a court stay order has been issued, does not have the right to occupy the deputy speaker’s seat.
In addition, it says that the deputy speaker had demonstrated a clear bias towards the government.
