Raising questions: Walkouts reign supreme during budget debate

Opposition members lash out at Speaker Asad Qaiser for his absence, dual offices.

PESHAWAR:

The opposition staged a token walkout from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly during the budget debate on Saturday over Speaker Asad Qaiser’s absence, his dual offices and alleged campaigning for his younger brother in Swabi.

Lawmaker from Kohistan, Maulvi Asmatullah staged a separate walkout against what he termed the denial of development of funds to his district. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) MPA Munawar Khan informed the house, four members of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) were boycotting the assembly proceedings as their constituencies have been left out in development schemes.



The first walkout came in the middle of the budget debate after Awami National Party MPA Sardar Hussain Babak took the floor and said Speaker Qaiser had not been attending assembly sessions for the past three days.

“The speaker can skip the house only if he is ill or out of the country. However, Asad Qaiser is neither ill nor abroad and still not presiding over the assembly proceedings,” said Babak. He added the opposition had earlier raised issues over Qaiser’s dual offices, accusing the speaker of running his brother’s election campaign in Swabi.

Lawmakers occupying the opposition benches staged a walkout following Babak’s statement. Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Israrullah Khan Gandapur, senior minister Sikandar Sherpao and health minister Shaukat Yousafzai brought them back after several hours.



Later, health minister Shaukat Yousafzai took the floor and said his party appreciates the opposition’s demands. He informed the assembly speaker was on leave due to a family emergency and would return by Monday.

About Qaiser’s dual offices, Yousafzai said as far as the tradition of the speaker not having any party office was concerned, he agrees with the opposition. He then assured the house his party will discuss the issue later.

JUI-F lawmaker Munawar Khan informed the house four JI MPAs – Muzaffar Syed, Malik Behram Khan, Syed Gul and Mohammad Ali – had boycotted proceedings over lack of funds for their constituencies.

Munawar Khan asked the treasury benches to bring the lawmakers back to the house, adding the opposition would support them in their demands.

JUI-F’s Maulana Asmatullah from Kohistan also walked out, accusing Minister for Finance Sirajul Haq for approving big development schemes in his own constituency, but ignoring Kohistan, which was the most backward district in the province. Asmatullah was later brought back to the house by Israrullah Gandapur.

Women MPAs express disappointment

Two female lawmakers of the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), which is a coalition partner of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in K-P, criticised the government for not including a single woman in the cabinet.

In her speech, Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli demanded the chief minister should at least induct one female minister. “Though one woman is not proportional to the overall women population, it could be done as a symbolic step,” she said.

Another QWP lawmaker, Miraj Humayun Khan also regretted the absence of a woman minister in the K-P government. Miraj said the government had included only one woman lawmaker Dr Mehr Taj Roghani, a prominent doctor, as special advisor among the 15 ministers, 10 advisors and five special assistants to the chief minister. She demanded Dr Roghani’s status be raised to a minister.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2013.