NA meets despite lack of quorum

Khawaja Asif demands fresh elections; BNP-M protests extrajudicial killings in Balochistan

ISLAMABAD:

Lawmakers from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its ally, the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), spoke their minds without mincing any words on the floor of the National Assembly, which met here on Monday despite a lack of quorum.

Raja Pervez Ashraf chaired the session, which was attended by a mere 25 members out of the treasury’s stated strength of 197. The new opposition, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has already announced the resignation of its lawmakers in the lower house of parliament.

The session continued for four and a half hours in the absence of the top leadership of several allied parties of the government. Speaking on the occasion, senior PML-N leader Khawaj Asif demand fresh elections in the country.

“We all have to work together to solve the challenges [facing the country at present],” he said. “We do not face any threat from outside, rather the danger comes from within. Fresh public mandate is the solution to this situation,” Asif told the house.

He also criticised the former ruling party and mentioned the foreign funding case against the PTI. “The foreign fund takers are mocking us as ‘imported’. Money from Israel and India came into their accounts. [in their tenure in the government], they filled their pockets and the country went bankrupt.”

Targeting former prime minister Imran Khan, Asif said that the gifts received by him [Imran Khan] were sold in the markets. Therefore, Asif added, the coalition government should “consider a new mandate at some point to let the people decide what they want”.

PTI dissident Noor Alam Khan raised the issue of allegations of turncoat against some members. On a personal note, he said that he had not taken any money for his stance. “I did not take Rs200 million from anyone and did not sell my conscience. I am ready to go to the holy Kaaba and take an oath to say this.”

Khan demanded that the names of former ministers should be put on the Exit Control List (ECL). However, he went on to say that the names of the ministers in the present government should also be put on the ECL now to ensure accountability in the future.

He demanded subsidy on ghee, sugar and flour at the utility stores and abolition of the condition of showing the computerised Nation Identity Card for making the purchases. “Even 2 kilogrammes of sugar is not available at the utility stores without NCIC,” he said.

During the session BNP-M staged walkout from the house in protest against extrajudicial killings in Balochistan. Agha Hassan Baloch said that extrajudicial killing of the Baloch people was ongoing. “Baloch blood is the cheapest in this country,” he said. “How cannot we sit in the government in this situation.”

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) member Shagufta Jamani raised objection to the muezzin of the mosque in the Parliament lodges. Khawaja Asif supported her objection. The chair referred the matter to the National Assembly Secretariat.

The PML-N lawmakers demanded restoration of the private members day. On the direction of the speaker, PML-N member Shaza Fatima Khawaja moved a motion for the restoration of the agenda of the private members. Later, the session was adjourned till 2 pm Tuesday (today).