NAVEED BUTT

ISLAMABAD: The members of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) Thursday staged a walkout from National Assembly for the seventh consecutive day in protest against alleged abduction of three close aides of former President Asif Ali Zardari.

Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah said that 10 days have been passed but the government is not giving any response on the disappearance of his three party workers. “I never have seen such a helpless Parliament in the history of past 30 years. There is no strength of the Parliament,” he said.

He said, “We are trying again and again to strengthen the Parliament, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government is weakening it. There was a time when the Prime Minister had surrendered but we empowered the Parliament as well as protected him.”

He said, “Even the PML-N is not ready to talk to us out of the Parliament. The PML-N government should tell us if it is helpless and cannot talk with others (establishment) then we will adopt another way.”

Afterwards, the opposition leader announced to stage a walkout from the house in protest against the government on the abduction of party workers. After the PPPP members walked out from the House, Aaisha Gulalai of PTI pointed out the quorum but the after counting the heads, the house was found in order.

The members of Jamaat-e-Islami also staged a walkout from the House in protest for not giving satisfactory answer by the Parliamentary Secretary Maiza Hameed on the calling attention notice about medical treatment in the PIMS hospital, Islamabad.

Later Shahida Rehmani of PPPP pointed out quorum when Federal Minister for Commerce Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan was giving policy statement on the floor of the house. Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi asked for counting. The House was not found in order and the deputy speaker adjourned the house till 10:30pm today (Friday).