ISLAMABAD – Instead of giving valuable suggestions on the finance bill, the chair as well as the senators from treasury and opposition benches Monday focused on advising one another to follow parliamentary norms.Muzaffar Hussain Shah of PML-Functional was the only legislator who came up with some significant recommendations in the presence of Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, who came to the house after opposition lodged a strong protest over the absence of ministers.The opposition PML-N, as usual, staged a token walkout after Senator Nisar Muhammad of PML-N, who on Thursday opened the budget debate, concluded his speech criticising the government and announced that after apex court’s ruling the prime minister as well as the federal cabinet does not exist in the country.Senator Muzaffar Hussain Shah of PML-F, taking part in the budget debate, called upon the government to address the issue of circular debt at the earliest. He said government should pay attention towards the alternative energy sources like solar energy to cope with the power crisis. He also called for enhanced incentives for overseas Pakistanis who according to him were contributing in prosperity of the country through foreign remittances.Besides asking the government to resolve agriculture related issues, Mr Shah demanded the government waive off interest and postpone recoveries from the farmers of calamity-stricken areas of Sindh. He said it is the need of the hour that government work to establish agro-based industries in the country.As soon the PML-N legislators left the house premises, Leader of the House Jehangir Badar criticised the opposition party for its unending boycott of the proceedings, saying that PML-N did not have the courage to listen to the word of reason. “They (PML-N) are saying that we (PPP) are obliging Jialas by giving them jobs but the matter of fact is that 80 percent of PPP activists are victims of fragile economy,” Mr Badar said.After Badar, Senator Ahmed Hassan Khan of PPP strongly rejected the allegations levelled by PML-N’s Nisar Muhammad regarding corruption in Benazir Income Support Programme and favouritism in giving jobs, terming the senator as a “semi-literate” person.Senator Mutkhtar Ahmed Dhamra of PPP criticised Leader of the House in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan for not appearing before a privilege committee of Sindh Assembly where a motion was moved against him by some MP’s for his alleged remarks aimed at disgracing traditional Sindhi Topi and Ajrak. Criticising Nisar, he uttered some unparliamentarily words, which were later expunged by the chair from the proceedings record. As Mukhtar concluded his hard-hitting speech wherein he announced that he would alone stage protest against Chaudhry Nisar in front of the parliament until he (Nisar) appear before the privilege committee, the PML-N legislator made a comeback to the House.Leader of the Opposition in Senate Ishaq Dar expressing his grave concern over the attitude of Presiding Officer Gul Muhammad Lot said the chair was not adhering to the house rules. “The budget session is in progress but you (Muhammad Lot) are giving chance to everyone to say whatever he wants. It’s not appropriate,” he observed.“We should observe parliamentary and democratic norms. It is our foremost duty to respect both the houses and we should not discuss any member on floor of the house.” Ishaq Dar said Nisar was an elected member of the national assembly and had already made it clear that he never made any humiliating remarks about Sindhi Cap and Ajrak. Dar requested the chair to expunge Dhamra’s whole speech against Nisar. He said both the PPP and PML-N jointly struggled to oust military dictator Gen Musharraf and they should not cross the red lines.Acting Senate Chairman Sabir Baloch, who took over the proceedings of the house during Mr Dar’s speech, said that Ch Nisar Khan was an honourable member of the national assembly and hence should be given due respect. He expunged the remarks against Nisar. Later, the house was adjourned to meet again on Friday at 10:30am.