Treasury benches disrupt Shahbaz’s speech in NA

ISLAMABAD: For the first in the country’s parliamentary history, the National Assembly Monday witnessed disruption in the opposition leader’s speech to kick off debate on the federal budget 2021-22.

Members from the treasury benches led by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur stirred a cacophony as soon as Opposition Leader Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif began his speech.

Shehbaz said the budget announced by the government would bring pain to people.“If the pockets of the poor are empty, this means the budget exercise is fake,” he said. He said the government should have supported the people living below the poverty line. He also rejected the government’s claims of economic progress.“It is not the country but the Bani Gala palace. The blue-eyed boys of Imran Khan will benefit from the budget,” he continued.

Shehbaz continued his speech amid uproar and heckling by the government members but had to stop it when they headed towards his bench, prompting the Speaker to suspend the proceedings for 20 minutes asking leaders from sides to come to his chamber for talks to run the House smoothly. However, the House was adjourned after two and a half hours to Tuesday afternoon.

PMLN leader Ahsan Iqbal later told The News that some ministers told the speaker they would not allow the opposition leader to speak until the prime minister permitted them.

Talking to newsmen later, Ahsan Iqbal termed the speaker government’s puppet. “It is the blackest day in the parliamentary history and highly shameful to disrupt speech of the opposition leader,” he said. He said Imran Khan was toeing the policies of Hitler and had introduced one-party system in the country. ‘This is Parliament House and not the Bani Gala palace,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the National Assembly Business Advisory Committee, met with the Speaker Asad Qaiser in the chair. It was decided that the present session would continue till June 30. It was also decided that general discussion on the budget would be opened by the leader of the opposition and it would be wound up by federal minister finance on 24th followed by taking up appropriations for charged expenditure. It was also agreed that 40-hours were fixed for general discussion on the budget and both the government and opposition benches would get time in line with their strength in the House. The committee unanimously decided not to take up questions and call attention notices.

Federal Ministers Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Dr Shireen, Mehrun Nisa and Parliamentary Advisor Dr Zaheerud Din Babar Awan, MNAs Rana Tanveer Hussain, Ch Muhammad Barjees Tahir, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Syed Naveed Qamar , Syed Ghulam Mustafa, Shazia Marri, Shahida Akhtar Ali, Iqbal Muhammad Ali khan, Robina Irfan, Muhammad Aslam Bhotani and Mohsin Dawar attended the meeting.