ISLAMABAD: The treasury members staged walkout from Senate on Friday to protest the presence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Falak Naz, who was suspended by the chair for two days on Tuesday for using abusive language against independent member Faisal Vawda.
Their exit prompted a treasury lawmaker to point out quorum, forcing early adjournment of the House till Saturday afternoon, but not before fiery brief speeches by Samina Mumtaz Zehri and Faisal Vawda. After Tuesday, the House resumed on Thursday with break of a day.
It all started when an altercation erupted between PTI’s Dr Zarqa Suharwardy Taimour and Danish Kumar of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) over the floor during the question hour when both insisted on asking a supplementary question.
PTI lawmaker wanted to first say something in poetic verse prior to further asking a query, whereas BAP legislator objected to her and sought the floor, as she had already asked a supplementary question and spoken in detail.
Deputy Chairman Syedaal Khan Nasar, who was chairing the sitting, appeared helpless, as both members got locked in a fierce battle of arguments at the top of their voice while some members from the treasury and the opposition tried to cool them down.
After some time, finally Senator Samina Zehri was allowed to speak and she strongly protested over targeting of women by the PTI and insisted, “The women card and being a big party card is being played here. If you will respect others, only then you will get respect, and questioned why the suspended member Falak Naz was present in the House, who was suspended for two working days.” She asked the chair to send her out of the House. She continued that on Tuesday, she had only asked her to go to her seat and then speak. And in return, she uttered, “You shut up; uncouth woman… and it was repeated five times”. The BAP member insisted that she should not be in the House for having been officially suspended for two working days.
The BAP lawmaker complained to have had been insulted on Tuesday, alleging while pointing to the PTI members that their leadership endorsed their misbehaviour in the House. “We will not spare them and will not let them talk. I express solidarity with Senator Danish Kumar, who was disrespected,” she said amid noisy scene.
It was then Faisal Vawda’s turn, who also rose to support Senator Samina Zehri and said that she should be provided justice and endorsed her demand that Falak Naz was suspended for two days; either she should apologise or go out. “Otherwise, we will all boycott the session and walk out.”
The chair reminded the agitating members that only yesterday that they had decided to maintain congenial environment in the House and follow discipline and go by the rules. However, members from both sides kept speaking. “If you have to decide then come and sit here,” he remarked.
He also said what Senator Samina Zehri stated was correct and complained also that when ministers are not around, the opposition members agitate, and when they are present, they cross-question and don’t let others to speak.
“They have nothing to say. They had already decided to disrupt the House; and if the chair’s rulings are to be discussed this way and questioned, then how will things move forward,” he contended.
PTI’s Shibli Faraz said their members should have been allowed to ask a question from the minister and asked why the drama was being staged and claimed masses know the reason. He called the treasury benches puppets and wished the chair should have restored order.
He also claimed their member Falak Naz had not said anything objectionable and if any action was to be taken, then like NA, a committee should have been formed, saying, “you can’t be a judge and an executioner at the same time,” he added.
Shibli claimed that insults had been hurled at CM Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur and none took notice of it. Amid his speech, quorum was pointed out, and the sitting was adjourned. “Now they are trying to hide behind quorum,” Shibli charged.
Meanwhile, the Senate Secretariat has announced that it has been decided to open the offices of the Senate at 11am Saturday and that an official notification has also been issued in this regard: The Senate offices will remain open until the end of the session.