NAVEED BUTT & AAMIR SAEED

ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties’ members and a ruling party MNA on Monday walked out from National Assembly after staging a protest demonstration in front of the Speaker’s dais for excluding FATA reforms bill from the agenda.

PML-N MNA Shahab-ud-Din Khan started protest in the House against the government for changing agenda of the day of the National Assembly that was followed by members of Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Jamaat-e-Islami.

According to the agenda of the National Assembly circulated among members on Sunday night, the FATA reforms bill was to be tabled for passage in the House on Monday, but the government circulated a new agenda of the day among the members by dropping the FATA reforms bill.

The bill is aimed at extending jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the Peshawar High Court to the tribal areas, besides introducing a set of other reforms.

Shahab-ud-Din Khan accused the government of changing the agenda overnight at the behest of some vested interests and while waving agenda of the day said, “This is not agenda of the day but a daylight robbery.”

Alhaj Shah Jee Gul Afrid, a member from the FATA, also strongly protested against the government’s move and termed it an “enmity to the people of the FATA.”

Members from the PTI and PPP also expressed their solidarity with the FATA members and pressed the government to explain its position on the exclusion of the FATA reforms bill from the agenda.

The members also chanted slogan “Go FCR Go” and tore down copies of the agenda too by protesting before the Speaker’s rostrum. The opposition members of PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami, FATA and PML-N MNA Shahab-ud-Din also staged a brief sit-in in front of the Speaker’s rostrum and raised the slogans too.

Responding to the protest, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shaikh Aftab said the agenda item was removed due to some technical reasons and “we will bring it back in next three to four days.”

Dissatisfied by the minister’s response, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah said that it was beyond his comprehension as to why the government has dropped the “important agenda item” after building a consensus with all opposition parties.

He announced that opposition parties would continue their walkout and protest against the government till the FATA reforms bill is tabled in the House for passage.

Shah also criticized the government for not taking the Parliament seriously, adding that the government has been using delaying tactics over the FATA reforms issue.

PTI member Shah Mahmood Qureshi alleged the government for creating a situation for protests by excluding the FATA reforms bill, adding that the government is not tabling the bill in the House due to opposition of one person or two allied to the government.

He urged the minister for SAFRON to explain the position to the House for excluding the agenda item. “Can he kindly spell out the technical reason to the House for excluding the bill?” he asked the Speaker.

After the government failed to satisfy the enraged opposition members, they staged a walkout from the House and later PTI member Amjad Ali Khan pointed out the quorum.

Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi was left with no option but to adjourn the proceedings of the House till today (Tuesday) for lack of quorum.

Earlier, during the Question-Hour session, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq expressed displeasure over “non-serious” attitude of secretary Ministry for SAFRON and for not providing answers to questions related to the ministry.

The Speaker said that he would write a letter to the prime minister recommending suspension of the secretary for writing his office that “he could not provide answers to the National Assembly members’ questions due to his busy schedule.”