Former PPP prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf addresses NA session. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB
For the third time on Tuesday, the budget session of the National Assembly was marred by rumpus. Due to the hullabaloo during Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif’s budget speech, Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri had to defer the session for a while.
Two hours later when the session resumed, some proceedings took place and the sitting was adjourned till 10:30am on Wednesday (today).
During the break, the treasury and opposition parliamentary leaders agreed to listen to one another in silence.
As soon as the NA session resumed under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker Suri, the treasury and opposition members came face to face.
When Shehbaz started his budget speech, the treasury members started creating hullabaloo to which the opposition members also replied with full force.
During the protest, the treasury members tried to move towards Shehbaz, but the PML-N MNAs surrounded their leader.
Suri warned the MNAs not to make videos on their mobile phones.
As the session started again, Pakistan Peoples Party’s Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said, “It is the job of the opposition to criticise and the government must keep a big heart.”
He said that he was sad after reading in the newspaper that PM Imran would not issue production order for former president Asif Ali Zardari, adding that the PM's statement had affected the speaker’s position.
The former prime minister requested the speaker to issue the production order, saying it was the Zardari’s right to represent his constituency.
He urged the treasury members to listen to the opposition calmly, saying then “we will listen to the prime minister and the government”.
PML-N’s Khawaja Asif said, “It is blackmailing by the government to say that the opposition must first listen to the PM with patience and then they will listen to the opposition leader.”
Asif demanded issuance of production orders.
He said they wanted the house to run smoothly with the speaker fulfilling his duties, adding that for five months the opposition was not being allowed to speak on the point of order.
When Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry started his speech, the opposition started hooting. Fawad asked Khawaja Asif to silence his “chamchas”, which infuriated the opposition.
Fawad said, “It cannot happen that you take two hours of ours and then not even listen to us. You say whatever you want to and leave like a disgruntled mother-in-law.”
MQM’s MNA Ameenul Haq demanded issuance of production order for Zardari. He said former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had said that the speaker’s chair must be impartial.
“In 2016, convener Naveed Jamil had been arrested. The then Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had received several calls but he still issued the production order,” said Haq.
PPP’s Khursheed Shah said, “We cannot tolerate the treasury members using abusive language in the house. It means that signals come from somewhere else.”
He said whatever federal ministers say in the house “is the view of the government”.
He said the opposition leader would deliver his speech on Wednesday morning at 10:30am, demanding issuance of Zardari’s production order.
“What does the government want … if it can’t tell us in writing, inform us in a corner.”
He alleged that the environment was deliberately being made hostile.
State Minister Ali Muhammad Khan said, “The past is witness of the fact that whenever Nawaz Sharif spoke in the house as prime minister, his speech was heard despite severe protests. We know how to respect others and gain respect. Whenever Shehbaz, Bilawal and others gave their speeches, we did not even hoot, but when the leader of the house will not be allowed to speak, then how much freedom of the house will be left.”
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