NA abruptly prorogued after Opposition protest

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly session was prorogued abruptly on Friday without passing or debating a resolution on the expulsion of the ambassador of France over the publication of blasphemous caricatures in a French magazine.

The opposition members registered protest, gathering in front of the speaker’s dais after their leaders were not given the floor to speak on the points of order. Amid strong sloganeering from the opposition members, Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri prorogued the session within 15 minutes of proceedings.

Opposition leaders Ahsan Iqbal and Raja Parvaiz Ashraf wanted to speak on the points of order on the exclusion of a resolution on the sanctity of the holy prophet (SAW). Opposition members including Naveed Amir Jeeva, Afzal Khokhar and Zahra Wadood Fatemi refused to ask their supplementary questions, requesting the chair to give the floor to Raja Parvaiz Ashraf and Ahsan Iqbal. However, the deputy speaker insisted that the question hour would be completed before taking up any agenda item or points of order. “I will give you floor but first let me complete the question hour,” he said.

On that, the opposition members gathered in front of the speaker’s dias while raising slogans of Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah and carrying some placards making it difficult for the chair to continue proceedings.

The resolution had been moved by a private member, Amjad Khan Niazi, on Tuesday that demanded a debate on the expulsion of the French ambassador from the country. The resolution recommended constitution of a special committee of the House to consider the resolution. The National Assembly Secretariat also wrote letters to the parliamentary leaders of political parties represented in the House to give names for the committee.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly offered Fateha for the departed souls of Quetta suicide attack martyrs and the late senior police officer Nasir Khan Durrani who passed away earlier this week. The deputy speaker, while paying tributes to Durrani for maintenance of law and order and police reforms in KP as IG Police, recommended to the federal government to announce Hilal-e-Imtiaz for him. The House also observed one-minute silence to mourn the death of Dr Ramesh Kumar’s brother.

Addressing a press conference outside the Parliament House, PML-N and JUI-F leaders condemned the prorogation of the National Assembly session without holding a debate on the resolution on the expulsion of the ambassador of France from the country. PML-N leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal and JUI-F parliamentary leader Asad Mahmood said the government escaped debating the resolution on a sensitive issue. Abbasi said the government set a precedent of hypocrisy in the country’s parliamentary history. “We wanted the government to start debate on the resolution but the government opted to avoid the issue,” he said.

He said the government used to make claims of taking up the issue of the sanctity of the holy prophet (SAW) but was reluctant to discuss the issue in the National Assembly. “We may have differences on political issues and other matters but there can be no two opinions on the sanctity of the holy prophet (SAW). He called upon the government that the National Assembly session should be summoned again to start debate on the resolution on Saturday. “We cannot allow you to escape the issue,” he said.

He said the speaker himself did not turn up on Friday and a person like deputy speaker who was disqualified by the Election Commission and obtained a stay order from the Supreme Court presided over the proceedings.

Commenting on a court verdict to confiscate properties of Nawaz Sharif, the PML-N leader said they sacrificed everything but there could be no compromise on a sensitive issue that relates to religious sentiments.

Ahsan Iqbal said they wanted the prime minister, the foreign minister and the director-general ISI to inform the National Assembly of the state’s policy on the issue so that the House could move forward in the light of that policy. He accused the government of bulldozing the resolution. “By doing so, the government played with religious sentiments of people and the opposition,” he said.

He regretted that the deputy speaker instead of taking up the resolution on the sanctity of the holy prophet (SAW) preferred to continue with the question hour. He said the resolution should have been moved by any of the cabinet members and not by a private member. “We demand the government to apologize to the nation for this attitude and continue the National Assembly session.”

He said the attack on Absar Alam is an attack on media and freedom of expression as such acts are against the Constitution. “We wanted to raise the issue in the House but were not given the opportunity.” Ahsan said that during the visit of the Chinese ambassador, the suicide attack in Quetta was an attack on the CPEC project. The tragic incident would hurt the image of the country. He said terrorist acts are surfacing again because the incumbent government instead of maintaining law and order has dedicated its security institutions to the victimization of opposition leaders, particularly those belonging to the PML-N.

“In our tenure, these institutions were meant to maintain law and order and were not used to victimize political opponents,” he said, adding that the priority of the PTI government is not to tackle terrorism but to continue victimization of its opponents.”

Asad Mahmood of the JUI-F also regretted the non-seriousness of the government, saying that the resolution was moved by a private member. “On national media, the ministers said they fulfilled an agreement with the TLP but on international media, the government said the resolution was moved by a private member,” he said. He demanded that the prime minister give a statement in the National Assembly to end ambiguity.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ch Fawad Hussain has said the government would have nothing to do if the PML-N or the PPP want to bring their resolution on the TLP and French ambassador issue.

He tweeted to make it clear that the agreement between the government and the banned TLP has been fully implemented. “The resolution has been presented and people arrested under the MPO have been released. In this regard, the protests in the country have ended,” the minister explained. He contended that if the PML-N or the PPP want to bring their resolution on the issue, it is their right. “The government has nothing to do with it,” he noted.

In another tweet, following an NCOC meeting, Fawad said that in view of the rapidly deteriorating situation of the corona, the prime minister has called in the army in the cities so that corona SOPs could be fully implemented. “Normal routines will be affected. We have reached 90 per cent capacity to use oxygen. Lahore is worst-affected by corona. Be careful. There is no other option,” he maintained.