PESHAWAR, June 19: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session was suspended briefly on Tuesday in protest against disqualification of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani by the Supreme Court.

“This is very shocking news and I know sentiments of the legislators, therefore, the proceeding is suspend for five minutes,” said Speaker Karamatullah Khan Chagharmatti when Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) member Mufti Kifayatullah broke the news in the house.

After half hour break when proceeding was resumed, Minister for Health Syed Zahir Ali Shah asked the chair to adjourn the house. He said that the country was passing through serious crises and it was not possible to continue business.

Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain also supported Zahir Ali Shah and speaker adjourned proceedings till 3pm Wednesday.

Earlier, Mufti Kifayatullah sought the permission of chair to allow him to share very important news instead of tabling his cut motion. He said that Supreme Court had disqualified Prime Minister Gilani for five years.

“This verdict has shocked democratic forces and such decisions might result in clash among institutions,” he remarked, adding though free and independent judiciary was good omen for the country.

Unfortunately, he said, some forces did not want democracy and strengthening of democratic institutions in the country and those forces did not miss any opportunity to derail the system.

He said that justice was seen to be done in a partial way as Mian Shahbaz Sharif was still ruling the Punjab province on a stay order of the court, while on the other hand an elected prime minister was convicted.

“Democratic forces will not let dictators to derail the system and their move will be resisted,” Mufti maintained and added that Justice Chaudhry should also resign in order to conduct free investigations against his son Arsalan.

Except Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, lawmakers of other parties thumped desks when the cleric from Mansehra said that it would be better to give all judicial and executive powers to Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to reform the system.

PML-N members sharply reacted when Mufti levelled allegations against Justice Chaudhry.

He said that powers and functions of all institutions had been clearly defined in Constitution. He warned that disqualification of an elected prime minister would seriously affect the system.

Earlier, opposition benches criticised government for allocating Rs1.40 billion in the budget for home and tribal affairs for civil defence and other bodies. PML-N member Sardar Shamoon Yar while speaking on his cut motion said that home department got funds for civil defence for the last four years and its performance was very poor. He also expressed reservations over performance of police and said that police department had failed to control crimes.

MMA legislator Malik Qasim said that civil defence was very important body and government should strengthen it. He called for reorganisation and strengthening of civil defence and other disaster management bodies.

Law Minister Arshad Abdullah, responding to the movers, said that law and order situation in Peshawar was better if compared with Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and other parts of the country. He said that civil defence was playing its due role in natural and manmade disasters but its performance was not properly projected in media.