ISLAMABAD: Ministers of the ruling coalition party PML-N again faced criticism from its ally PPP as well as the opposition PTI for their absence from the National Assembly proceedings.
Yesterday’s session of the Lower House of the parliament also saw both treasury and opposition members protesting the absence of ministers during the question hour.
They had expressed their dissatisfaction over several replies given by parliamentary secretaries on behalf of the ministers. Besides the opposition members, the most vocal and strong protest was lodged by the PPP members who termed it “an insult to the parliament”.
Shortly after the session began at 11am, PPP’s Syed Naveed Qamar recalled that his party raised the issue of ministers’ absence yesterday.“The cabinet is collectively responsible to the National Assembly. It is the ministers’ constitutional duty to be present in the House,” Qamar said.
“There cannot be any other obligation more important than the responsibility to National Assembly and yet they abdicate that responsibility day after day in defiance.
“How do they expect anybody — the opposition or anybody else — to respect parliament when its major beneficiaries decide not to respect parliament?” he asked, adding: “This is ridiculous. We keep on raising this issue and yet they keep on abstaining themselves.”
The PPP lawmaker then urged NA Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah to issue a “strict ruling” on the issue that the House should not proceed until the ministers were present.
Responding to Qamar, the deputy speaker recalled that he had issued a ruling yesterday that they would write a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ask him to ensure the presence of ministers for parliamentary business.
He highlighted that earlier today, the NA proceedings were paused for 15 minutes to wait for ministers and parliamentary secretaries to arrive. “The government is non-serious and if the government wants the House to continue in this manner, it will not happen.”
Speaking next, Opposition Leader in the NA Omar Ayub Khan also criticised the absence of ministers during the question hour.
