ISLAMABAD - The National Assembly yesterday witnessed an eventful day filled with exchange of heated remarks from both sides of the aisle, walkouts, sloganeering and brief expulsion of opposition MNA from the house following a verbal brawl with a deputy speaker.

The house, with the onset of the proceedings, saw furore created by opposition after failing to get the floor from the chair. The opposition members raising slogans gathered around the speaker’s podium, where PPP-P’s Agha Rafi Ullah engaged in a verbal brawl with the chair.

PPP-P’s leader Agha Rafiullah, ignoring the repeated warnings from the deputy speaker, continued crosstalk with the chair. On it, the chair ordered Agha Rafi Ullah to leave the house for violating sanctity of the house. 

PPP-P’s parliamentary leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf made a failed attempt to rescue his young colleague by tendering an apology on his behalf. The opposition members, who were gathered around the dais, convinced his colleague to leave the house in respect. The young member from Karachi, following ruling of the chair, shouting slogans left the house for around five minutes.

National Assembly condemns Quetta, Peshawar blasts, Armenian agression against Nagorno-Karabakh

Minister for Communication Murad Saeed came down hard on the PDM for making controversial statements in its rally. “Attack on Urdu language and slogans for independent Balochistan are unacceptable,” said the minister and rushed to move a resolution condemning the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) recent Quetta rally. It condemned a statement made at a gathering of PDM in Quetta, terming it against Article- 251 of the Constitution. “You are speaking to the tunes of Modi and Ajit Doval (Indian National Security Advisor),” he said, inviting rumpus from the opposition. Two senior members from opposition - PPP-P’s Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and BNP-Mengal - strongly criticised him for allegedly distorting the facts. “We are fed up with his [Murad Saeed] old speech based on wrong facts,” he said. BNP-Mengal chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal also denied the impression about anti- Urdu language discussion in the PDM’s public rally. “We respect Urdu language. Other languages in the country should also be respected,” he said, mentioning that communication minister had created wrong impression about independent Balochistan. 

The house also passed a resolution strongly condemning the recent terror attacks in Peshawar and Quetta. “Our security forces are prepared to eliminate the terrorist elements. The resolution demanded that those involved in the terrorist attacks must be brought to justice,” says the resolution moved by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan.

The resolution moved by Minister for Communications Murad Saeed said the statements against the constitution are contempt of the Parliament. In another resolution unanimously passed yesterday, the house expressed deep concerns over deteriorating situation in Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The resolution moved by PML (N) Ayaz Sadiq condemned the illegal, immoral and unethical brutal acts of aggression by Armenian forces in Karabakh. 

Two PML-N lawmakers, at the fag end of proceedings, spoke about the meeting which decided release of Indian pilot Abhi Nandan, claiming that the Government took decision under pressure. “Shah Mahmood Qureshi was present in the meeting which Imran Khan refused to attend but the Army Chief turned up,” the former Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said.

 

 

 

He said the foreign minister requested the opposition to let release Abhi Nandan otherwise India would attack Pakistan at 9 pm. He said India never attacked Pakistan but this government handed over Abhi Nandan to Indian authorities.

He further said it was not the opposition but the incumbent government which brought an ordinance to facilitate Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadav. PML-N’s parliamentary leader Khawaja Asif admitted that the PML-N and PPP also supported the release of Abhi Nandan.

He said that General Bajwa gave a briefing to the meeting who expressed the hope that India would give a positive gesture to the release of Abhi Nandan. “You might have released Nandan to ease tension between the two countries but I want to ask as to what has been the outcome of what you invested in relations of two countries,” he questioned.  Asif also left the impression that this government was preparing ground to send him back. He further said that history would not forgive the PTI’s rulers for its disloyalty with people of Kashmir and their names would be written with black words in history.

Minister Ali Muhammad Khan, responding to the opposition members, said the opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardar, JUI-F leaders and who were also present at the meeting supported release of the Indian pilot.