Haleem Adil’s arrest: PTI, PPP MPs exchange hot words in NA

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Tuesday witnessed an exchange of hot words between the PTI and PPP legislators on the issue of arrest of Opposition Leader in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh.

The PTI back-benchers from Karachi wanted to raise the issue of Haleem Adil’s arrest on a point of order but Speaker Asad Qaiser gave the floor for presenting the National Assembly standing committees’ reports. As they continued to raise their demand amid loud sloganeering, the PPP legislators frustrated their move by pointing out the quorum.

As the PPP legislator Agha Rafiullah pointed out the quorum, the PTI legislators from Karachi, including Faheem Khan, Aftab Jehangir, Attaullah and others, gathered round the opposition benches and exchanged hot words with the PPP legislator while the count was being made.

Saner elements from both sides however successfully controlled the situation. PTI legislator Muhammad Faheem Khan, who got the floor after the presentation of standing committees’ reports, blamed that it was a planned attack by the PPP workers on the opposition leader.

“They are responsible and should be taken to task,” Faheem said. He wanted to speak more but PPPP MNA pointed out lack of quorum. As the quorum was pointed out, the opposition legislators left the house to break the quorum.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan laid Special Technology Zones Authority Ordinance 2020 and The Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 before the National Assembly.

Replying to a question during the question hour, Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services Dr Nausheen Hamid said the federal government was providing financial resources for implementation of Sehat Sahulat Programme in Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad Capital Territory, Tharparkar and merged districts of KP, while Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments were implementing the programme from their own financial resources.

She said so far 10.11 million families across Pakistan were being provided hospitalization services under the programme. Dr Nausheen Hamid said the programme had not been implemented in districts of Balochistan and Sindh due to non-contribution of annual health insurance premium by the respective provincial governments.