Ministers of the ruling coalition party PML-N again faced criticism on Thursday from its ally PPP as well as the opposition PTI for their absence from the National Assembly proceedings.
Yesterday’s session of the Lower House of the parliament also saw both treasury and opposition members protesting the absence of ministers during the question hour.
They had expressed their dissatisfaction over several replies given by parliamentary secretaries on behalf of the ministers. Besides the opposition members, the most vocal and strong protest was lodged by the PPP members who termed it “an insult to the parliament”.
Shortly after the session began at 11am, PPP’s Syed Naveed Qamar recalled that his party raised the issue of ministers’ absence yesterday.
“The cabinet is collectively responsible to the National Assembly. It is the ministers’ constitutional duty to be present in the House,” Qamar said.
“There cannot be any other obligation more important than the responsibility to National Assembly and yet they abdicate that responsibility day after day in defiance.
“How do they expect anybody — the opposition or anybody else — to respect parliament when its major beneficiaries decide not to respect parliament?” he asked, adding: “This is ridiculous. We keep on raising this issue and yet they keep on abstaining themselves.”
The PPP lawmaker then urged NA Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah to issue a “strict ruling” on the issue that the House should not proceed until the ministers were present.
Responding to Qamar, the deputy speaker recalled that he had issued a ruling yesterday that they would write a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to ask him to ensure the presence of ministers for parliamentary business.
He highlighted that earlier today, the NA proceedings were paused for 15 minutes to wait for ministers and parliamentary secretaries to arrive. “The government is non-serious and if the government wants the House to continue in this manner, it will not happen.”
Speaking next, Opposition Leader in the NA Omar Ayub Khan also criticised the absence of ministers during the question hour.
“Look at the situation right now. It is 11:49am. We even took a break [but] no minister is present. I have the questions here. Why do we come here?” Ayub said.
“No minister or minister of state is here; just “one or two parliamentary secretaries,” he said, adding: “Is this a government or what? They have a non-serious attitude.”
The opposition leader highlighted, “We have one forum for accountability of the government; it is this question hour. If they do not take this seriously, then what governance and what accountability?”
“This is a humiliation of the House,” he said, requesting the deputy speaker and Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to ensure the presence of ministers.
Subsequently, deputy speaker Shah ruled: “If the ministers do not come [to the NA] next week, then we will not continue the House [proceedings]. That is what they want? This is what we will do […] This is a disgrace to the House.”
Shazia Marri, another PPP lawmaker, also raised the same issue. She termed a minister’s assurance given yesterday on the matter “very weak”.
“Instead of coming to the issue, they were detailing their performance,” she said, quipping: “What has happened after yesterday is that that one minister is also absent now.”
Marri contended that parliamentary secretaries did not have a constitutional role but rather federal and state ministers. “This cannot be a replacement of the federal cabinet.”
Subsequently, the deputy speaker noted they would write to PM Shehbaz on the matter today and adjourned the NA proceedings till 11am tomorrow (Friday).
