Opposition stages walkout

ISLAMABAD - The main opposition parties in the Parliament on Tuesday created a brief rumpus and staged a walkout as soon as the President rose to address the joint sitting on Tuesday. The moment Qari Najam Al-Azhri left the rostrum after recitation from the Holy Quran, National Assembly Opposition Leader Ch Nisar Ali Khan, along with other members from the opposition parties rose to their seats and wanted to raise some issues on a point of order. Their demand was turned down by Speaker Dr Fahmida Mirza terming it in violation of the rules of business. She invited the President to address the joint sitting. The opposition members started chanting slogans as soon as the President started his speech. The opposition continued with its protest and agitation for three minutes and then staged a walkout, boycotting the Presidents address. A few members from the Treasury benches, including Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, Syed Naveed Qamar, Syed Khurshid Shah and PPP Central Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira, went out of the hall as part of parliamentary practice to convince the opposition members to return to the session, but failed in their efforts. Throughout the Presidents address, PPP leaders kept on shuttling in and out of the National Assembly Hall and kept Prime Minister Gilani informed about the latest developments taking place. Members from the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) did not join the rest of the opposition parties in protest and boycott. Instead, they left the House a few minutes after the walkout by other opposition parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan Muslim League (likeminded) and Pakistan Peoples Party (Sherpao). Sources privy to the developments taking place regarding the convergence of most of the opposition parties said that the PML-N wanted to go for creating a prolonged rumpus in the National Assembly but the other opposition parties, including JUI-F, PPP-S and JI were of the view that the opposition parties must only record their protest over the failure of government in a dignified manner. Some in the PML-N wanted to pay the PPP in the same coin for all what they had done in the Punjab Assembly, sources added. Sources in the PML-N said the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly had discussed the final protest plan with Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif on the telephone who also supported the point that MPs should only register their protest in line with democratic norms. To counter the opposition strategy of protest, seating arrangement in the House was made thus that a number of ruling and allied MPs were seated on the opposition benches so that after the walkout, the opposition benches didnt seem vacant. Commenting on the presidential address, Opposition Leader Ch Nisar Ali Khan said that it could be called an address by the president of a political party rather than head of the state. 50 percent of the parliamentarians walked out and did not listen to President Zardari. It can be a speech of the president of PPP, MQM and ANP rather than a speech of the President of Pakistan, Nisar said while addressing a press conference. He said President Zardari has fulfilled the constitutional requirement but failed to come up with national requirement. We followed the democratic tradition to register protest. We planed to register a strong protest but after consultation with other political parties we limited it. We did not adopt the way of other parties; what they did in the Punjab Assembly, he said. Talking about the Raymond Davis release, he said that some political parties on the direction of the Establishment were blaming the Punjab government for the release of the US national. He said that it was astonishing that along with Raymond Davis the heirs of the deceased were also gone. He demanded the government form a parliamentary or judicial commission to probe the matter. The law and order situation in Karachi and Balochistan is alarming. People are dying. In such situation it was a sin to listen to Asif Zardari saying all is well, Opposition leader said while adding that President Zardari did not say even a single word about the drone attacks. He said that the opposition parties did not attend the address of Zardari, how could they participate in the All Parties Conference being offered by him. Nisar was of the view that Asif Ali Zardari followed democratic rules and norms to become President of Pakistan but usurped the rights of Parliament by imposing taxes of 53 billion rupees through an ordinance. To a question, he said it was premature to say anything about the formation of a grand opposition alliance. PML-N Secretary Information Ahsan Iqbal said that the opposition parties got united for the first time in the history of the country against the policies of the government. Its a big achievement that gave a strong message to the government that it would have to change its policies. Separately, PML-Q President Ch Shujaat Hussain said that they staged walkout to register protest against drone attacks, inflation and other public issues. To a question, he said that the PML-N was trying to bargain with the PPP and when their efforts remained fruitless, they decided to walk out. Shujaat said that just 3 of 50 members of his party did not walk out from the House, which did not affect the party. Opposition leader of the PML-Q in the Senate, Wasim Sajjad however said that the PML-Q has its own identity and stance so they walked out separately. He told the media the PML-Q would express its concerns on the presidential address in the coming session of the National Assembly and the Senate. PPP-S President Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said that it was a united stand of the opposition against the governments failures to deliver and it was not correct that opposition had not demonstrated a strong protest. To a question, he said certain hawkish elements in the opposition parties wanted to create a scene on the floor of the House but majority of the opposition leaders opposed it and they staged a decent protest. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman said that there was nothing new in the address of President Zardari. He (Zardari) neglected the affairs like deteriorating law and order, price hike, unemployment, energy crises, drone attacks and the release of Davis, but made some promises which would be never be realised. He said economic condition of the country has reached the brink of a disaster and the President did not reveal his agenda to bring the economy back on the track. He disappointed the nation by his speech in all respects. PML-Q (likeminded) Secretary Information Kashmala Tariq termed the address old wine in new bottle and said the President should also have spoken about drone attacks and the Raymond Davis case. President Zardari gave just two lines of his speech on the recent blasphemy incident reported in Florida, US. The government should take it up with the US high-ups. It is a high time for the government to revise policies, Kashmala added.