NA to discuss Afghan situation next week

ISLAMABAD: The developments in Afghanistan will come up for extensive discussion in the upcoming National Assembly session with reference to briefing provided by the military leadership early this week.

The National Assembly has been convened to meet on July 8 (Thursday) and it will continue for 11 days before adjourning sine die for Eid holidays. The session will continue till July 19 and the opposition has planned to take up for discussion adverse impact of new fiscal year’s budget on common man’s economy. Load-shedding of electricity and gas in various parts of the country will also figure in the house besides official agenda.

The price hike will be taken up by the opposition in the course of sitting. Well-placed sources told The News here Saturday that second round of the intelligence agency’s briefing on national security issue to the Parliament Committee on National Security could be held in between the NA session. The proceedings of the National Assembly would be viewed with fair amount of interest as the sitting would be the first after budget session of the assembly where unprecedented fluctuation of tempers was witnessed.

On one hand, the leader of opposition was abused and attacked with ‘missiles’ made from sanitizer bottles and voluminous heavy budget proposal books while on the other the house witnessed miraculous truce and Finance Bill was adopted in smooth manner with unprecedented lengthy speeches from both sides of aisle without any ruckus. The last day’s session did see exchange of barbs between PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. The ambiance in the session commencing from Thursday would be able to provide proof about enduring reproachment between the two sides that was worked out in budget session’s last week or it was one-time arrangement for the budget passage. Much discussed and controversial so-called electoral reforms would be another bone of contention between the government and the opposition that will surface during the ensuing session.

The opposition has already rejected the offer of dialogue made by the leader of the house/prime minister for discussion on the same. The opposition is of the view that the reforms are agenda for rigging the next general elections planned by the government and for the reason it wouldn’t be acceptable for any political party.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif is convening All Parties Conference (APC) on the electoral reforms beginning next week. The opposition may bring its own set of proposals for the electoral reforms in the next NA session, the sources hinted.