Proceedings of National Assembly session, currently underway, have been deferred for 15 minutes as members from both treasury and opposition benches have created an uproar in the House. The session is in progress with Panama Papers leaks being the main topic.
Members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have indulged in sloganeering against the government over Panama leaks, while Khawaja Saad Rafiq, who was addressing the House at that time, was interrupted to halt his address. Saad Rafiq later said that PTI was not interested in politics and was only interested in wasting time. He said that the opposition party had hijacked the House which was unacceptable.
Members of PTI also tore down copies of the agenda for the session.
Speaker National Assembly tried to calm down the protesters but they did not heed to his instructions. He later deferred the session for 15 minutes.
Earlier, Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah, in his address recounted that Parliament had come under attack in 2014, but the whole opposition stood unified in its defence. “We were openly criticised for that and labeled as ‘friendly opposition'”.
“We safeguarded this House and when the prime minister comes to the same House, he reads out a written statement,” the opposition leader said, adding that we saw prisons, hardships for safeguarding the Parliament.
After Speaker Ayaz Sadiq interrupted the opposition leader for mentioning a privilege motion on Panama Leaks, saying it was sub judice with the apex court, he said, “Parliament is the most supreme institution, even superior to the judiciary, for it represents the will of the people.”
Shah said the prime minister came to explain the money trail before the Parliament and it was later termed a ‘political statement’, but they did not over-react.
“Is politics name of lying?” he questioned, adding, “No! It means service of the people”.