The Backbencher: Deputy speaker has a hard time disciplining MPAs

PTI's Khurram Sher Zaman walks out as lawmakers refuse to take his concerns seriously.

Murad Ali Shah sat with his head in his hand. He looked like he wanted MPAs, such as Irfanullah Marwat and Nusrat Abbasi, to explain why they were debating about forests, an act from 1927, landslides in Galiyat and why couldn't they just open up the rule book instead of picking petty fights.

He wasn't alone. There were other MPAs, the real backbenchers, from the government and opposition benches who looked like they had better things to do at one in the afternoon on Monday.

When Nusrat Abbasi stood up to ask her supplementary questions, the MPAs became really comfortable in their seats. Sharmila Faruqi, Sharjeel Memon, Faisal Subzwari, Marwat, Nisar Khuhro, Sikandar Mandhro and other MPAs kept walking in and out of the house. They knew the questions would go on for a while. The deputy speaker, however, had other things in mind. Shehla Raza wanted to stick with her timetable: an hour for the question-answer session, 30 minutes for the call-attention notices - every MPA who wanted to say something had six minutes each and then the day's agenda.

Monday's assembly session was a bit like running a classroom for the deputy speaker who had to keep telling MPAs from the opposition and treasury benches to shut up and sit down. They didn't. They kept talking out of turn like a classroom full of rowdy students who were not listening to what the substitute teacher was asking them to do.

Despite the arguments that kept breaking out over MPAs not following assembly rules, Raza looked like she was enjoying herself.

One MPA who seemed to be having a bad time was PTI's Khurram Sher Zaman. After reading out his call-attention notice on wine shops and the consumption of alcohol within the limits of DHA and Clifton, Zaman walked out, angry, taking his books, smartphone and documents with him.

Zaman claimed that alcohol was not just being served to non-Muslims at wine shops and they were drinking it openly in parking lots in residential areas. An issue he has raised at the assembly before. Raza asked him to take his seat and proceed with the notices but Zaman refused. Sharjeel Memon stood up to explain that alcohol could only be bought by non-Muslims after they produced their CNIC. He laughed and mocked Zaman's concerns which upset the PTI MPA, forcing him to leave the House. Memon laughed and the session resumed as per usual.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2014.