Achakzai announces quitting NA committees

Gohar condemns denial of floor to opposition lawmakers

Listen to article

ISLAMABAD:

PkMAP chief Mahmood Achakzai on Friday announced his resignation from all the committee of the National Assembly which included the treasury members, and advised the major opposition party, PTI to do the same.

Speaking to the media persons at the Parliament House, Achakzai said that he would no longer sit with the government members in those committees. "I resign from all the committees which include the government members," he said. "I also ask the PTI to leave these government committees too."

Achakzai suggested that the PTI should hold a separate parliamentary session outside the house and raise public issues there. "The speaker will be Asad Qaiser. Opposition's members are more than 100, they should tell the public that this is their real representative party."

Achakzai repeated his earlier statement that this was a "fake parliament, as the PTI's mandate was stolen" in the general elections last year. Responding to a question, he said that there was no previous example that an International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation visited the courts.

Speaking on the occasion, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that the performance of the National Assembly was disappointing, despite the opposition's efforts to continue the proceedings. He condemned the denial of the floor to the PTI in the lower house of parliament.

"We tried to find a political solution to political issues in the production committee and the negotiation committee. Today in the National Assembly, we did not get a point of order, which we condemn," the PTI chairman told reporters.

Also, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, the head of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) said that the opposition came to the assembly fully prepared to discuss all issues but they were not given the opportunity. He challenged the government, said if they wanted a clash with the opposition, it would get one.