ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s sitting on Friday lasted for only 11 minutes and was adjourned without addressing its scheduled business owing to a lack of quorum.
The sitting started at 11:09 am against the scheduled time of 10:30 am. The deputy speaker presided over the sitting in the absence of the speaker. The Leader of House (Prime Minister) did not attend the sitting since he was on his first official visit to China. The leader of opposition was not present as well. As many as 64 lawmakers (19 per cent) were present at the outset and 51 (15 per cent) at the adjournment of the sitting.
Under the rules, the presence of one-fourth of the members (86) of the 342-member house is required to maintain quorum.
Soon after a recitation from the Holy Quran, Balochistan National Party’s (BNP) Agha Hassan pointed out lack of quorum. Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri subsequently ordered a head count and then adjourned the session till Monday 5:00 pm.
The assembly’s adjournment frustrated the opposition, which had already expressed disappointment on Thursday for PM Khan’s absence from the assembly at a time when the country is facing an abnormal situation due to nationwide protests by religious groups against the Oct 31 Supreme Court verdict in the Aasiya Bibi case.
The House did not take up any of the agenda items appearing on the ‘Orders of the Day’ which comprised 15 private members’ bills, five private members’ resolutions and five private members’ motions under Rule 259, two Calling Attention Notices and a motion for raising a matter of public importance under Rule 87.
