NA session: Uproar as opposition mounts offensive

Govt censured over judicial commission’s report on Quetta carnage

ISLAMABAD: Confusion reigned in the National Assembly on Monday as the opposition censured the government over the findings of the judicial commission’s report on the Quetta carnage.

Starting some two hours and 15 minutes behind schedule, the NA session was as riotous and unrestrained as can be. Opposition parties took their criticism to the next level by shouting slogans: ‘Gali Gali main shor hay, Nawaz Sharif chor hay’ (Everyone knows that Nawaz Sharif is a thief) and urged the PM to clarify his stance. The PPP and PTI appeared to be unified on a singular anti-government stance.

Treasury bench members such as Khawaja Saad Rafique and Daniyal Aziz, tried to defend the PM. The opposition drowned out the meek voices of the treasury benches who tried to defend the PM by chanting pro-Nawaz slogans.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi of the PTI highlighted the prime minister’s contradictory statements and said: “These are two different statements and PTI thinks that no one else other than the PM must clarify which statement is correct. Otherwise, we will continue to demand the same. PTI demands that the PM should clarify the matter before parliament ” he maintained.

When Daniyal Aziz took to the floor, all PPP and PTI lawmakers stood up and started chanting slogans: ‘Jawab do Jawab, Nawaz Sharif jawab do (Answer us Nawaz Sharif).

In response to slogans raised by opposition members, treasury bench lawmakers chanted: ‘Go Imran Go’.

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq continuously tried to bring order to the proceedings by reminding that in his chamber, the opposition had agreed that the government would take the floor after the opposition.

When order was restored, Aziz questioned the credibility of the ICIJ, terming it a dubious forum”.

Leader of the opposition Syed Khursheed Shah said if ICIJ had no credibility, what had compelled the PM to address the nation.

Referring to the Judicial Commission’s report, he criticised Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and said that the PM should realise his responsibility in light of the commission’s report.

PTI submitted an adjournment motion in the National Assembly Secretariat to discuss the issue of grave national concern arising out of the judicial commission’s report on the Quetta carnage.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2016.