PA session deferred till Monday over incomplete quorum

Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Khan Durrani on Friday adjourned the provincial assembly session till Monday (July 31) owing to absence of lawmakers.

In view of the apex court's Panama Papers session in Islamabad, the timing for yesterday's PA session had already been adjusted from 10am to 3pm but still a large majority of lawmakers failed to attend the proceedings.

Speaking to the media outside the assembly hall over the day's political developments, Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said Nawaz Sharif was facing defeat owing to his unscrupulous advisers. The information minister said he went through the Supreme Court’s judgement and advised the now-deposed prime minister and his associates to avoid taking steps which could lead to a clash. He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) still holds a majority in the National Assembly and should nominate a new prime minister.

Shah complained that earlier an ‘accountability drive’ was only being carried out in Sindh and its people were being subjected to political excesses. He further said that in case erstwhile federal minister for petroleum and natural resources became the new prime minister it would be difficult for him to scrap the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

Deputy Speaker Sindh Assembly Syeda Shehla Raza, while also speaking to the media, observed that the ruling Sharif family has been compelled to remember late prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto owing to Friday’s judgement of the Supreme Court.

She advised against comparing Nawaz Sharif’s case to Benazir Bhutto’s case of ouster, claiming it would be a grave mistake to do so. She said the prime minister stands disqualified by the apex judiciary over his false statement, concealing assets and committing corruption. “We will wait to see the judgement against Imran Khan,” the deputy speaker remarked.