Amidst ‘Go-Gilani-Go’ slogans in the House, the opposition benches in the National Assembly on Thursday lambasted Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for using Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to achieve its vested political interests, threatening treasury benches that they would not allow the premier to enter the House.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who is generally appreciated for his regularity in attending the sittings of the National Assembly, did not turn up at the session. However, the entire proceedings revolved around his conviction by the SC with loud slogans and exchange of accusations from both sides of the divide. The Lower House echoed with shouting and taunting by the PPP and the PML-N parliamentarians against each other, with the latter throwing a gauntlet down to the ruling party to challenge the prime minister to come to the House as they would not allow him to sit on his seat in the House.
Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Nisar Ali Khan demanded a resignation from the prime minister saying that his continuation as PM was an insult of the office of the prime minister as well as of the judiciary and parliament.
Law Minister Farooq H Naik asserted that the prime minister had not been disqualified after this conviction. “He is still the prime minister of the country and will come to the House,” Naik declared, following shouts of “Go Gilani Go” by PML-N members. Nisar Ali Khan and Law Minister Farooq H Naik spoke tit-for-tat with the latter giving the policy statement over the conviction and history of Swiss cases and former rejected the statement on the ground that government wanted to politicize the issue. Naik said the conviction was not in line with the charges framed against Yousaf Raza Gilani and said the prime minister never ridiculed the judiciary as mentioned in the short order of the government on contempt of court case. He said an appeal against the decision would be filed in the court and that it was part of the trial saying that all talks that the prime minister had been disqualified after the decision were absurd. “Court has not disqualified Yousaf Raza Gilani as prime minister or MNA,” he claimed.
He called upon NA Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza, who was chairing the session, to apply her mind if any question of disqualification surfaced. “The speaker has the power to apply her mind if any question of disqualification arises if any reference is sent to her office,” Naik said. On writing a letter to Swiss Courts to open the cases against President Zardari, Naik said it was not a matter of Asif Ali Zardari but the prestige of the office of the president that was an institution and supreme commander of armed forces of the country. Nisar threatened the ruling party against bringing the prime minister in the House who was a convicted person. His threat triggered a protest from the PPP lawmakers who rose from their seats and interrupted his speech and started shouting slogans ‘Raiwand Mahal’, ‘Tax Chor’ etc. Nisar called upon Gilani to resign from office and first prove his innocence through an appeal in the court and then come to the House.
Nisar challenged the ruling party to go to the people’s court if they had no faith in Pakistani, Swiss and British courts. “Let’s announce the date of the elections and go to people’s court,” Nisar demanded. Speaker Fehmida Mirza appeared upset over the rumpus created by both parties and advised them to maintain the decorum of the House, as it could not be run in a way of disorder. Expressing doubts over the intentions of incumbent government, Nisar said that there was no need to politicize the case and it could not be discussed in the parliament in such a way. On the criticism from treasury benches over Raiwand palace, he challenged the government benches if they had any doubts then go to the courts and register cases against Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif . “You are in the government. Go and prove them,” he added. Commenting on the policy statement given by Farooq H.Naik, Nisar expressed some reservations saying that some of the facts were not shared which were not in favor of Yousaf Raza Gilani and Zardari. “We are not happy at all that the prime minister has been convicted, but things which are the part of the record should also be shared with masses,” he added. Actually it’s a matter of corruption of $60million so facts behind it should be shared with masses, he said.
