Opposition to requisiton NA session to debate price hike

ISLAMABAD: The opposition has decided to requisition a session of the National Assembly to discuss issues, including price hike, confronted by the people amid the ruling party’s reluctance due to non-cooperation by majority of its members, who are not willing to turn up for attending the proceedings despite the party leadership’s persuasion.

The opposition will submit its requisition early next week. The absence of the treasury members created the quorum issue in the previous three consecutive sessions of the NA. Ironically, the ruling alliance couldn’t assemble even 100 members at one point in the house where it enjoyed the support of 178 members.

Well-placed political sources told The News that the leader of opposition in the NA Shahbaz Sharif was in constant consultations with other parliamentary groups of the house, including PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Maulana Asad Mahmood of the JUI for filing the requisition to convene NA session.

Senator Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani of the PPP and Senator Azam Nazir Tarrar of the PML-N are also on board for requisition of the two houses to debate the price hike and other issues of national significance.

The opposition leader had already enlisted the agenda for the proposed requisition, sources said, adding, “The government has got resolutions passed from NA for referring more than 14 laws to the joint sitting of the parliament.” It is mandatory to get the bills passed by both the houses for converting them into law.

Shahbaz Sharif has already announced that the opposition would agitate the issue of price hike in the NA session, and it will give tough time to the government while discussing the issues. He said that the opposition wouldn’t tolerate increase in the price of petroleum products, including LPG and other items of daily need, which have gone beyond the reach of a common man.

Tentatively, the government has planned to convene the NA session in the second week of the next month. The State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Muhammad Khan, wasn’t available to offer comments on the developments regarding the session of NA and joint sitting of Parliament.