Ali Muhammad tries to defend govt in NA

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar had to terminate the session on Monday due to the opposition’s unusual protest, in which it condemned alleged torture on the protesters of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) by the security personnel. During the assembly session, most of the treasury members were looking puzzled and seemingly supporting the opposition’s stance on the issue. Meanwhile, Federal Minister Ali Muhammad Khan tried to rescue the government but his statement and government’s stance seemed different and it was the reason that there was propaganda about Ali Muhammad Khan that he had resigned from the official responsibilities. The minister had to clarify the situation.

On the government benches, the members seemed to be regretting the prevailing situation. It seemed that most of the members would soon revolt against the party discipline and political affiliation, might support Namoos-e-Risalat on the assembly floor.

PPP’s former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf identified some important points and presented his and his party’s stand point on the issue. Some said that the PPP’s performance as the opposition seemed to have enhanced, while Sheikh Rashid received severe criticism when he came to the floor to give a policy statement on the issue. He had to face hard words from the opposition. Sheikh Rashid looked tired due to late talks with the TLP leadership, and when he was speaking on the floor, the protesters thronged at his political office ‘Lal Haveli’ and started a protest against him. Rashid has received political attention for the past four decades but now his political career is at stake.