Severe gas shortages in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi heated temperatures in NA on Monday with opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and PML-N compatriot Hanif Abbasi triggering a debate on the issue besides taunting the treasury benches on the memo controversy. When PPP secretary information Qamar Zaman Kaira was set to respond to Nisar in the same manner, the timely intervention and sagacity shown by senior politicians Asfandyar Wali Khan, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Syed Khurshid Shah helped bring tempers down in the NA and business returned to normal.
Raising the issue of gas shortage for domestic consumers in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, leader of the opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the government had no ears and heart to listen and pay heed to the woes of the general public. He said the ruling party had shown no commitment to resolve public issues and just made loud statements on all issues. He said the only interest of the prime minister was to try to present the memo controversy as a non-issue. “The PM claimed that after General James Jones’ statement, if we did not end the memo issue, Americans would laugh at us. It is unfortunate that the government is more concerns about Americans than the sufferings of its own people. If the people are troubled and women have no gas to cook food, we have no business to sit in this parliament,” he said. PPP secretary info Qamar Zaman Kaira said the Opp should not challenge the treasury conduct. “If time and again we are challenged, we have a right to respond to the points raised by opposition,” he added.
