Lack of quorum mars KP Assembly proceedings

PESHAWAR: The lack of quorum marred the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly’s session on Monday as the chair had to adjourn the sitting, leaving the debate on the Billion Tree Tsunami project incomplete.

Nighat Orakzai of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) staged a protest in front of the speaker’s dais for being disallowed to speak on the Lahore gang-rape incident. Tearing up the copies of the agenda, Nighat Orakzai along with Sobia Shahid of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) staged a walkout from the House and complained she was not given the floor on Friday and today (Monday) to express her views. She returned to the House to point out the lack of quorum when the parliamentary leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) Maulana Lutfur Raman was speaking on the Billion Tree Tsunami project.

Adjourning the session for Tuesday (today), Deputy Speaker Mehmood Jan said the opposition member pointed out the lack of quorum though the opposition had requisitioned the session. Earlier, initiating the debate, Maulana Lutfur Rahman said the opposition agenda was aimed at highlighting the issues of national importance, but it was unfortunate that the government instead of telling the facts tried to mislead the nation. He said the government failed to inform the House how many saplings were planted and what method was adopted for the plantation and why the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was holding an inquiry into corruption in the project. The JUI leader said had the government allowed and extended support to the parliamentary committee constituted for the purpose to visit different sites of plantation shown in documents by the government the matter would not have led to the NAB’s action. The House also witnessed a rumpus as women members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protested against the remarks of Khushdil Khan of Awami National Party (ANP). Khushdil Khan on a point of order said he was named as member of three committees of which two committees were dysfunctional and had not held a single meeting so far.

He added that the third committee i.e. health committee was headed by a matriculated woman lawmaker (Rabia Basri) as chairperson so he was announcing resignation from all standing committees in protest. The deputy speaker expunged the words of Khushdil Khan when the women members protested against it, demanding an apology from Khushdil Khan. Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information and Local Government Kamran Bangash said the members should refrain from making such remarks. The assembly adopted the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Appointment of Law Officers (amendment) Bill, 2020.