Karachi unrest: PML-N, MQM, ANP among others walkout of Senate session

Parliamentary panel on law and justice completes review of new accountability bill draft. PML-N vows to oppose it.

ISLAMABAD: A day after the ruling party’s major ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) walked out from the Senate to protest against the apparent apathy of the incumbent government in controlling a worsening law and order situation in Karachi, a plethora of government allies and opposition parties walked out on Wednesday.

Save for the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and its major ally the Pakistan Muslim Leaque-Quaid (PML-Q), all other parties including the MQM, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Awami National Party (ANP), the Jamiat-Ulema-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) and the National Party walked out of the Senate session on Wednesday.

The walkout was prompted by the conspicuous absence of the federal ministers for interior and law. The absence of law minister Farooq H Naek was a particular sticking point given he had promised on  Tuesday to convey the grievances of members over Karachi’s law and order situation to the prime minister in Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.

New accountability bill to be introduced next week

The Senate’s standing committee on law and justice said completed its review of a draft proposal for a new accountability bill on Wednesday.

The new bill which proposes to increase punishment for violators to seven years of rigorous imprisonment, would now be tabled in the assembly next week for debate.

PML-N to oppose accountability bill

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Wednesday said that his party would vociferously oppose the proposed new accountability bill.

For this, the PML-N leader urged all MNAs of his party to attend the next assembly session scheduled for Monday and oppose the bill as it is tabled.