New session: PPP moves privilege motion against premier

Argues that the PM’s stance in NA contradicts that of his attorneys in SC

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Tuesday took lead among other opposition parties by submitting a privilege motion against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to grill him on contradictions in statement he made on the floor of National Assembly on properties owned by his family in London and the stance adopted by his legal counsel in the Supreme Court on the issue.



PPP would press the speaker to take up their motion in the next National Assembly session starting today (Wednesday). PTI that had boycotted the lower house since October has also announced to re-join NA in the new session. It also plans a similar move.

It would submit two motions, a privilege motion and an adjournment motion against the premier’s contradictions.

It would depend on speaker’s office if he brings these motions on the proceeding’s agenda during the session. Opposition parties are likely to press for it in the House Business Advisory Committee meeting due to take place on the first day of a new session before formal start of the proceedings.

It is also up to the speaker if he opts to refer any matter to the relevant committee or he uses his discretion and disposes of such a motion on his own.

In case a matter is referred to the committee, the panel has authority to summon the person against whom a motion has been moved.



Interestingly, ruling PML-N dominates this 23-member panel with 14 regular members including a chairman and minister for parliamentary affairs. Opposition parties PPP has three, PTI and MQM have two members each and JUI-F an ally of the government has one member in this parliamentary panel.

Having overwhelming majority in NA as a whole and in the relevant committee as well, it is unlikely that the opposition parties can get a motion against the prime minister passed from either of the two.

However, they can get ample opportunity to grill the premier on both forums.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2016.