It was a day of protests and walkouts from proceedings of the National Assembly as Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Jama’at-e-Islami (JI) on Wednesday staged walkout from the proceedings separately on various issues.
Though the MQM lawmakers returned to the House after a token walkout, the rest of the three opposition parties opted to continue their boycott of the proceedings of the House. While the PPP and the MQM leaders took up the matter of disappearance of their party workers, PTI and the Jama’at walked out of the House in protest to the alleged blockade of CNIC of Pakhtuns.
Speaking on a point of order, opposition leader Syed Khursheed Shah asked the federal government to play its role to recover three close aides of his party chief Asif Zardari who went missing last week. He asked the government to reassure his party for the recovery of his party’s missing members and otherwise his party’s lawmakers would continue their boycott of the assembly.
Shah also made it clear that it was not only a matter of the missing persons of his party but the missing persons of other political parties should also be recovered. “The PPP always has fought for the supremacy of the parliament. Our struggle for the continuity of democratic system would continue. Attempts are being made to violate constitution,” he remarked, adding that the institutions collapsed when the constitution was held in abeyance.
Shah, seeking the support of other opposition parties for its walkout, also supported MQM on the issue of their missing members. He also raised the issue of blockade of CNICs of the Pakhtun population.
On a point of order, PTI’s Imran Khattak also raised the issue of blockade of CNIC. He was soon joined in by Sahibzada Tariqullah as the lawmakers of both the parties left the House in protest. Shaikh Salahuddin of the MQM also raised the issue of his party’s missing persons. He said around 150 members of the MQM were missing for the past many months.
“Even after assurance from higher authorities, the missing persons were not recovered,” he said and left the House along with his party colleagues. State Minister for Interior Baleeghur Rehman made an attempt to woo back the opposition parties. Speaking in response to the points raised by the opposition parties, he said Sindh Rangers had informed the ministry that the two missing persons who were close aides of Zardari were not picked by them.
About the third missing member, he said an FIR has been registered and ICT police have been directed for early recovery. About the CNICs, the minister said that the interior ministry has issued notification to NADRA to incorporate recommendations of the parliamentary committee. The house also passed The Pakistan Council for Science and Technology Bill, 2017.
The bill, moved by Minister for Science & Technology Rana Tanvir Hussain, provides for establishment of the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology. Earlier, PTI submitted a resolution in the National Assembly Secretariat against Pakistan’s decision to join Saudi-led 41-nation Islamic military alliance and appointment of General Raheel Sharif as its head.
