ISLAMABAD   -   The National Assembly in Saturday’s budget sitting witnessed uproar as government and opposition members exchanged heated remarks that led to suspension of the proceedings. The lawmakers from treasury and opposition throughout the daylong proceedings in their speeches targeted the economic policies of each other’s governments.

After a normal taunts and exchange of hot words during the speeches from both sides of the aisle, the house saw rumpus when a lawmaker from opposition benches, Sana Ullah Masti Khel, having association with SIC, used some objectionable words in the house. The lawmakers from treasury benches strongly reacted over the remarks and even some female members registering to protest left the house.

Deputy Speaker, who was chairing the proceedings, immediately expunged the words used by Sana Ullah Masti Khel from the record of the national assembly. The house was suspended for fifteen minutes due to rumpus in the house.

Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, resuming the proceedings, took a prompt action by suspending membership of Sanaullah Mastikhel, for the rest of the budget session for using objectionable language on the floor of the house. Sadiq said such inappropriate words have never been used while delivering a speech in the house. “I am short of words to condemn such indecent language by a fellow member,” he said.

The speaker read that during the sitting of the National Assembly held on June 22, Sanaullah Khan Mastikhel, MNA, in his budget speech expressed highly objectionable and indecent remarks, thereby eroding and lowering the sanctity of the House.

Sadiq said that the act was in violation of rule-30 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007, and disregarded the authority of the chair and abusing the rules by wilfully disrupting and obstructing the proceedings.

Earlier, leader of opposition in the house Omar Ayub Khan asked the Army Chief General Asim Munir to call an immediate Corps Commanders Conference to discuss alleged security failures concerning Chinese citizens. “Why concerns were raised over the matter of security by Chinese. Immediate Corps Commanders Conference should be called on it,” he said, criticizing the recent arrests of over hundred PTI workers in Punjab during protests and called for action against the Punjab IG for filing cases against assembly members.

MQM’s lawmakers from Karachi Mustafa Kamal, on his turn, shared a solution to resolve the matter of heavy debts against the country. He suggested that senior leaders like Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Asif Ali Zardari, and others contribute from their wealth to reduce Pakistan’s debt. He also proposed that serving generals and other affluent individuals should also contribute. The parliament members should allocate 25 percent of their earnings. He said that there was a need to impose a financial emergency in the country.

Minister for Planning Ashan Iqbal, on point of order, condemned the lynching of a man in Swat. He said that the parliament had to take stern notice of “mob justice”, as it had brought Pakistan “to the brink of destruction...We must take notice of this incident,” he said, demanding that a committee be formed to probe these incidents.

MNA from opposition Shehryar Afridi, on his turn, said that there should not be dual standards by the members of treasury benches. “Only to grab government benches, the members entered the house by adopting the wrong way,” he remarked. MNA from PPP Qadir Patel, taking part in the debate, targeted the opposition leader and PTI’s government era. “You [PTI] have been given a chance but you miserably fail to perform,” he said.