Empty seats: House meets for six minutes in first session post-quake

PML-N MPA says government in state of disorder

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly met after a month, but there was little to discuss due to an incomplete quorum; a reason which led to the adjournment of the session after a few minutes.

Speaker Asad Qaiser started the question and answer session. However, Sheraz Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) pointed towards the empty house, prompting the speaker to order assembly bells to be rung to signal a two-minute waiting period. Sheraz’s question was on Monday’s Q&A schedule. When the MPA was asked to read his question, he again pointed that the quorum was still incomplete.

PML-N parliamentary leader Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha also complained about the incomplete quorum, forcing Qaiser to adjourn the session till Tuesday at the usually scheduled time.

By the time the house was adjourned, only 17 members were present. Minister for Education Atif Khan, Minister for Irrigation Sikandar Sherpao, JUI-F’s Mufti Said Janan and PML-N’s Fauzia Khan entered the house soon after the session was adjourned.

Syed Jaffar Shah of Awami National Party and Nalotha were unhappy over the fact that the house could not complete the agenda for the day.

“Everything in this government is in [a state of] disorder,” commented Jaffar Shah. Nalotha and Qaumi Watan Party’s Sultan Muhammad Khan were also unhappy over the adjournment. “This is affecting the workings of the house,” complained Nalotha.

According to Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), the house met for a mere six minutes.

SDA to be closed

The government has decided to close the Sarhad Development Authority (SDA); employees’ fate will be decided later. This information was provided by the industries department to a question which was meant to be discussed on Monday at the assembly session. The question was to be fielded by MPA Meraj Humayun.

The industries department has said SDA jobs will be transferred to newly-constituted Economic Zones Development and Management Company (EZDMC).

The government has hired a chartered accountancy firm to assess SDA assets. The fate of 310 employees will be decided in light of the accountancy firm’s recommendations.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2015.