NA once adjourned due to lack of quorum

Opposition continues its protest in lower house

ISLAMABAD:

The government has requisitioned the ongoing session of the National Assembly. However, the ruling alliance on Friday failed to gather enough number of its lawmakers in the assembly hall, giving an opportunity to the opposition to point out lack of quorum and get the house proceedings adjourned.

This was the fourth time during the ongoing session that the opposition thwarted the government’s attempt to conduct business of the house.

The opposition has started a protest in and outside the parliament since formation of an alliance – the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) – to dislodge the PTI led federal government.

When the proceedings started on Friday, the PPP leader Syed Naveed Qamar – while speaking at a point of order – said the government is not conducting business in the house in a proper manner and the opposition cannot become part of such proceedings.

He announced that his party would stage a walkout.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan said the opposition has the right to register its protest. However, he took exception to the opposition’s manner of protest and said it is not proper to besiege the chair during a protest and through shreds of agenda copies in the air.

He said the opposition has also boycotted the meetings of the National Security Committee and House Business Advisory Committee, which, according to him, was not desirable.  Commenting on the opposition’s protest, he also recited a satirical couplet.

Taking the floor, PML-N’s Sheikh Fayyaz Uddin said it is the government which has discredited the parliament.  He also pointed out the lack of quorum. The speaker ordered counting of the lawmakers and adjourned the house till Monday 5pm after it was discovered that the requirement quorum was not met.

The National Assembly also adjourned the proceedings on Tuesday as the government had not been unable to meet the quorum requirement. During the session, chaired by Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, the opposition had adopted a unique technique of creating hurdles in the proceedings.

They had brought with them whistles, which they kept blowing whenever a bill was considered. They didn’t even respect the national anthem and started blowing whistles during the anthem.

Chanting slogans, the members had first surrounded the speaker’s dice and then started a protest by blowing whistles and throwing torn copies of the agenda in the air.

The deputy speaker had kept urging the opposition members to maintain social distancing and wear masks in view of the coronavirus outbreak but to no avail. The ruckus had caused difficulties for the deputy speaker in conducting the proceedings.