ISLAMABAD, July 13: A lacklustre Senate session witnessed on Friday a walkout by members from both sides of the aisle against the worsening law and order situation in the country.

The Awami National Party staged a walkout as a mark of protest against a bomb attack on an ANP rally in Quetta in which six people, including a senior leader of the party, were killed and a terrorism incident in Bajaur, claiming several lives.

Mian Raza Rabbani of the PPP and members of the MQM, JUI-F and PML-N joined the walkout.

Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri of the JUI-F said that restoration of Nato supply routes might be the reason for an upsurge in incidents of terrorism.

Leader of Opposition Ishaq Dar told the house that police and prison personnel from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa killed in Lahore were getting training from a federal institution and the head of the institution had informed that he had made many requests to the federal government regarding security of the under-training personnel.

The attendance in the house remained thin throughout the session. There were 11 members in the house when the session started and nine when it was prorogued sine die.

During the question hour, Chairman Nayyar Hussain Bokhari took strong exception to the fact that no written replies were received to any of the questions on agenda relating to the ministry of water and power.

Adviser on petroleum Dr Asim Hussain informed the house that discoveries of gold and sliver had been reported from several parts of the country, including Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said the estimated reserves of gold in Saindak were above 63 tons and in Reko Diq above 1,275 tons.

Answering a question, he said the government had imposed a ban on setting up of new CNG stations on Feb 6, 2008, but the government lifted it in Balochistan on Aug 8, 2008 which was again imposed on Oct 4, 2011.

Dr Asim said that 38 CNG stations were set up in Balochistan until the ban was lifted.

Law Minister Farooq H. Naek tabled three ordinances: the Transfer of Railways (Amendment) Ordinance, 2012; the Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan Ordinance, 2012; and the Validation Ordinance, 2012.