NA session adjourned amid opposition sloganeering, whistle-blowing

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Tuesday witnessed another day of rumpus, as the opposition members resorted to sloganeering and whistle-blowing, causing an early end of proceedings.

The protest started after Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri refused to give floor to the PML-N parliamentary leader Khawaja Asif to speak on the arrest of Captain (R) Muhammad Safdar, who is also an ex-member of the House. Instead, the chair preferred to take up the order of the private members’ day.

The parliamentarians belonging to the opposition benches also gathered in front of Speaker’s dais and tore copies of order of the day amid sloganeering. Suri, however, continued to execute the legislative business amid protest advising the opposition members to take their seats.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi urged Suri to drop the opposition’s agenda, which had not been moved despite their presence in the House. The minister said it was a private members’ day and the opposition legislators had adopted a childish behaviour.

He said it was the democratic right of opposition to protest, but they did not participate in the business despite their presence in the House. He criticized the opposition members for creating a fuss by blowing whistles saying they would continue during the upcoming three years as the protestors again started blowing whistles in the middle of his speech.

The opposition members failed in their protest attempt to force adjournment of proceedings when one of them pointed out lack of quorum, which on counting was found complete. For the second time, the deputy speaker called for break for Maghrib Prayers when an opposition member pointed out lack of quorum. Ultimately, the House was adjourned till Friday.