NAVEED BUTT &

AAMIR SAEED

ISLAMABAD: The budget session of National Assembly on Friday witnessed low attendance and lack of interest from both treasury and opposition members in the debate.

At the outset of proceedings, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah pointed out empty benches of the treasury, saying the ministers are not giving due respect to the Parliament and usually remain absent from the proceedings of the House.

If the Prime Minister cannot attend the session due to various official engagements then what issue is with the other ministers as they are unable to attend the session, he deplored.

He said it is also responsibility of opposition members to ensure their presence in the House during the session, adding that on one hand, the ruling party is raising slogan ‘give respect to vote’ but on other hand, its ministers and members do not bother to give importance to the Parliament.

“Respect to vote is tantamount to respect to the Parliament and democracy,” he said, adding that it would be useless to carry out debate on budget in the empty House.

“Only 18 lawmakers of the government including two or three ministers and just 20 members of opposition are sitting in the House,” Shah pointed out, adding: “This is the situation of the government which got two-third majority.”

Shah said neither Nawaz Sharif paid respect nor Imran Khan is giving due respect to the Parliament. He also sarcastically advised the government to hold NA session in late hours so that the issue of sleep of parliamentarians could be solved.

He suggested the government that it would be better to pass the budget at once instead of inviting debate over it.

Responding to points raised by Shah, Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Riaz Pirzada said in Pakistan there is deterioration in every sphere of life and politics has become the affair of wealthy persons.

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq issued directives that he would now give two opportunities to the opposition to talk on budget against one member from the government.

The matter of renaming the Physics Department of Quaid-e-Azam University kept echoing in the National Assembly on Friday as well as members of opposition benches clarified that it was not National Centre for Physics (NCP) which was renamed.

The members also condemned the process of creating confusion over the matter by a section of media which published stories that it was National Centre of Physics which was renamed.

Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N government had proposed to honour the first Nobel laureate physicist of Pakistan, Professor Abdus Salam by renaming the NCP after him in Dec 2016. Dr Salam belonged to Ahmadi community.

The House Thursday unanimously passed a resolution proposing that Physics Department of Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, should be named after Muslim scientist Abu al Fath Abdul Rehman Al-Khazini. It was moved by Captain Muhammad Safdar (retd). The NCP and Physics Department are two different entities.

PPP’s Ijaz Jakhrani said through a resolution the name of Physic Department of the university was changed and there was no talk of changing the name of the institute which was named after Dr Salam. He said his party would never become part of as such resolution like it (changing name of NCP).

Amir Dogar said before signing the resolution he had inquired from the lawmaker (Captain Safdar) that on what name the department is named which is being renamed after Khazini. On which, he said, he was told that currently it was not on the name of any person.

Dr Azhar Jadoon of PTI said they signed the resolution with good intention but a section of media carried false story in this connection. “We jointly condemn it,” he further stated.

Taking part in the budget debate, Sahibzada Tariqullah of Jamaat-e-Islami said his party has strong reservations on the budget, adding that the National Finance Commission is part of the Constitution but it has not been revived after 2007.

Haji Shah Jee Gul Afridi said Pakistan needs to improve its relations with neighbouring countries to improve the exports. He said that the transport sector is paying taxes to the tune of five hundred to six hundred billion rupees to the national exchequer and it needs a separate platform.

He said the FATA reforms will help spur the development activities in the region. Afridi said Levies and Khasadar Forces have paid huge sacrifices for maintaining peace in the region and they should be given relief and allowances. He also demanded to give special financial package to residents of the FATA and scholarships to study abroad for FATA students.

PTI’s Amjad Ali Khan said unprecedented loans have been taken during the last 5 years. He criticized the indirect taxes on the poor of the country.

Chaudhry Khadim Hussain of the PML-N said that the construction of Kalabagh Dam is need of the hour and all four provinces should reach the decision with consensus.

Shahida Akhtar of JUI-F said inflation has been in single digit but the actual standard of life for the poor has fallen and they are facing hardships to make both ends meet.

Arbab Ayub of PTI said no funds have been earmarked for the development of Peshawar. He said that the federal government did not give any funds to MNAs of another party for development activities.

Syed Waseem Hussain of MQM-Pakistan delivered a fiery speech in the assembly and threatened to self-immolate himself if he is not given more time to talk on the issues being faced by citizens in Karachi and Hyderabad.

He said that the Chief Justice of Pakistan is taking suo motu over matters of hospitals, milk shops and others but the districts of Sindh are out of focus of him. He said that the land in Sindh has been leased out at the rate of Rs200 per acre and the kids in Tharparkar are dying due to malnutrition.

Waseem demanded setting up of smaller administrative units/provinces in Pakistan and measures should also be taken to bring back the wealth into Pakistan which was looted from the country.