NA proceedings: MPs vent anger at Sadiq, Shah over prolonged session

Speaker tenders an apology and pledges not to repeat the mistake in future.

ISLAMABAD:

Several opposition lawmakers flew into a rage on Friday when the fourth session of the lower house was extended without the consent of all opposition groups. Most of them took out their anger on National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Leader of the Opposition Khursheed Shah.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders Javed Hashmi and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Rashid Godil expressed dismay over the extension of the session.

Both the speaker and the leader of the opposition had decided on Thursday to extend the session for another week - without consulting other opposition parties.

The matter, however, was quickly resolved after the house speaker tendered an apology and pledged not to repeat the mistake in future. “I take the responsibility for extending the session without consulting the opposition.”

The debate, stirred by Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s remarks over the fitness of discussing President Asif Ali Zardari’s presidential address after he leaves office on September 8, continued but ran into snags.

Since the leader of the opposition was not present in the house the session was postponed. Shah could not to kick off the debate as debate on extending the session consumed hours until it was time for Friday prayers.

He asserted that the extension in the session generally suits the opposition parties in the Parliament. However, it was for the first time he had witnessed that the opposition had objected to the extension of a session.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Rasheed Godil countered Shah that they did not object to the extension but had only denounced the move because it was taken without consensus.

“Who took this decision and where was it taken? We don’t know. The House simply had no clue of the decision till today,” Shah Mehmood Querashi pointed out.

Endorsing Khursheed Shah stance of extending the session to debate the presidential address before President Zardari’s tenure expiries Javed Hashmi said, “it would be useless to debate on his address after he leaves office”.

“The going and coming of head of the state doesn’t matter because the presidential speech is not a personal but a policy speech of the sitting government,” Hashmi added.

Ackakzai advised the opposition parties not to make it a matter of ego. “It is a mistake everyone made by not initiating the debate over the address,” he stated. Later the Speaker adjourned the proceeding of the House till Monday.

Na question hour

State Minister for Privatisation Khurram Dastagir Khan informed the House that the government has devised a comprehensive plan to get rid of the circular debt which was pilling up despite paying Rs500 billion to power producers.

Citing reasons for this, he pointed out that the government was selling electricity at Rs10.95 on average against the cost of Rs14.66 for each unit of electricity which had created a gap.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2013.