- MQM remains silent, Aitzaz-led PPP, other parties continue chanting slogans, beating desks
Opposition parties in the Senate on Friday recorded their protest against the prime minister and the slogans raised from time to time marred the proceedings, ultimately Chairman Raza Rabbani prorogued the House.
Despite various requests by the chair, the senators refused to maintain order in the House and the opposition members especially from PPP continued chanting slogans against the prime minister in the aftermath of the Supreme Court verdict announced on Thursday.
An unusual sight in an otherwise well-ordered Senate where even the voice of the chairman went unheard as the members led by Opposition Leader Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan continued chanting slogans and beating desks. The chairman prorogued the session as soon the opposition halted its protest.
Speaking on points of order, the leaders from PPP and PTI said that they would continue protest against the prime minister and would raise the issue of his disqualification at all fora. With an exception of MQM, all opposition parties criticised the prime minister and many leaders spoke on the verdict and demanded his resignation.
Aitzaz said that the prime minister should accept that he has been disqualified. Azam Swati said that two judges were saying that Nawaz Sharif was neither Sadiq nor Amin. “The court has ordered to bring back the looted wealth through JIT. He (PM) has no right to remain on his seat and he should immediately resign,” he said.
Swati said that the Senate should unanimously decide that the prime minister should resign. Jamaat-e-Islami leader Sirajul Haq, Saeed Ghani and Nouman Wazir Khattak claimed that the respondents could not provide any documentary evidence to prove their innocence in the case.
Later, the Senate chairman prorogued the session that the upper house of the parliament, adjourning it without giving the next day of resumption. Answering a question, Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal said that security forces have been deployed for the protection of mega projects initiated under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
He said that the provincial and the para military institutions were working in collaboration and there was need to make them stronger. He said that the enemies of Pakistan want to harm the CPEC. He said that the provincial governments were cooperating with the federal to foil the conspiracy.
The Senate was also informed that Rs 21.5 billion including Rs 8.7 billion principle and Rs 12.8 billion mark up were waived off or written of to 313,392 borrowers by the banks during the last 10 years (2006-7 to March 31, 2017).
Giving replies to the House on behalf of the finance minister, Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir informed the House that the amount of Rs 21.5 billion includes Rs 14.5 billion were waived or written off by the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) during the same period.
Out of the total waivers, Rs 2.13 billion were written off under the Prime Minister’s Relief Package for war-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)/Malakand and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in 2009-10, he said.