Senate on the streets: Opposition refuses to enter Parliament
Members of Senate turn down Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali's request and hold session outdoors.
Screengrab of Minister of State for Water and Power Sher Abid Ali (L) trying to convince Aitzaz Ahsan (R) to enter the Parliament.
ISLAMABAD:
The opposition refused to enter the Parliament on the request of the Minister of State for Water and Power Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali by chanting “Shame Shame Shame” during the Senate session being held in the open air at the grounds of the Parliament House on Wednesday, Express News reported.
A ten-point agenda, which covers Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan's attitude as well as the power tariff hike, inflation and Karachi's law and order situation, will be discussed during the Senate session.
"The [casualty] figures submitted by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar were incorrect and were justifying the drone attacks conducted by the US," stated Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani during the session.
He further said that “even the defence ministry told the media that the figures were wrong.”
“The records should be corrected immediately and the interior minister should withdraw the figures pertaining to casualties from terrorist activities he had presented before the upper house,” he demanded.
The senator also expressed that “Opposition did not have any other way but to hold a senate session outside the parliament house.”
Clash
Opposition parties in Senate had moved a privilege motion against Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar for refusing to withdraw the figures pertaining to casualties from terrorist activities he had presented before the upper house on November 1.
Boycotting Senate proceedings for a second consecutive day on November 1, senators from all political parties sans the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had held a meeting and drafted the privilege motion against the interior minister. Twenty-four senators had signed the motion.
“The interior minister provided the wrong statistics in reply to the questions asked by opposition members and then refused to take them back in violation of parliamentary traditions,” Raza Rabbani had told journalists following the opposition’s decision.
The war of words started on October after Nisar had presented figures of casualties from terrorist attacks – stats which were swiftly challenged by an ANP senator who called them a “pack of lies”.
Aitzaz Ahsan had further asked the interior minister to take back the statistics and return with correct numbers.
Nisar’s response to this had triggered a heated altercation among the members of the two benches.
Later the combined opposition excluding MQM had walked out of the house after Nisar remained unmoved in his seat. Leader of the house in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq, however, had apologised for any rude behaviour.
After the opposition’s walk out, the Senate Chairman Nayar Bukhari had suspended the proceedings for 15 minutes and asked the treasury benches’ members to go and bring back the estranged senators from opposition.
The boycotting senators, however, did not return to the house for almost an hour forcing the legislative business to a halt before the house adjourned.
The opposition refused to enter the Parliament on the request of the Minister of State for Water and Power Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali by chanting “Shame Shame Shame” during the Senate session being held in the open air at the grounds of the Parliament House on Wednesday, Express News reported.
A ten-point agenda, which covers Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan's attitude as well as the power tariff hike, inflation and Karachi's law and order situation, will be discussed during the Senate session.
"The [casualty] figures submitted by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar were incorrect and were justifying the drone attacks conducted by the US," stated Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani during the session.
He further said that “even the defence ministry told the media that the figures were wrong.”
“The records should be corrected immediately and the interior minister should withdraw the figures pertaining to casualties from terrorist activities he had presented before the upper house,” he demanded.
The senator also expressed that “Opposition did not have any other way but to hold a senate session outside the parliament house.”
Clash
Opposition parties in Senate had moved a privilege motion against Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar for refusing to withdraw the figures pertaining to casualties from terrorist activities he had presented before the upper house on November 1.
Boycotting Senate proceedings for a second consecutive day on November 1, senators from all political parties sans the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had held a meeting and drafted the privilege motion against the interior minister. Twenty-four senators had signed the motion.
“The interior minister provided the wrong statistics in reply to the questions asked by opposition members and then refused to take them back in violation of parliamentary traditions,” Raza Rabbani had told journalists following the opposition’s decision.
The war of words started on October after Nisar had presented figures of casualties from terrorist attacks – stats which were swiftly challenged by an ANP senator who called them a “pack of lies”.
Aitzaz Ahsan had further asked the interior minister to take back the statistics and return with correct numbers.
Nisar’s response to this had triggered a heated altercation among the members of the two benches.
Later the combined opposition excluding MQM had walked out of the house after Nisar remained unmoved in his seat. Leader of the house in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq, however, had apologised for any rude behaviour.
After the opposition’s walk out, the Senate Chairman Nayar Bukhari had suspended the proceedings for 15 minutes and asked the treasury benches’ members to go and bring back the estranged senators from opposition.
The boycotting senators, however, did not return to the house for almost an hour forcing the legislative business to a halt before the house adjourned.