• Session ended minutes after it began ‘in adherence to tradition’
• Opposition turns out in full force, most govt members stay away
• Shehbaz not allowed to speak; Asad Qaiser accused of being ‘Imran’s stooge’

ISLAMABAD: The first day of one of the most crucial sittings of the National Assembly, which could potentially alter the country’s political landscape, ended shortly after it commenced when Speaker Asad Qaiser — sticking to parliamentary tradition — adjourned the session until Monday (March 28) without allowing the opposition’s no-trust resolution to be tabled.

As a result, the opposition leaders vented their anger at the speaker after the session, saying he was in violation of the Constitution and running parliament “like a member of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and not the custodian of the house”.

However, the speaker’s decision to adjourn the session until Monday surprised some as well — there had been reports that the government may announce a longer adjournment in an effort to delay the no-confidence vote.

There were even reports that the speaker could issue a ruling that the vote would have to be deferred until a decision on the presidential reference that is currently before the Supreme Court.

The opposition definitely tried to show its strength in the house, where a who’s-who of mainstream opposition parties was in attendance, 160-strong. From Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari to Balochistan National Party-M (BNP-M) Akhtar Mengal, all were present and accounted for.

On the other hand, the attendance on the treasury benches was lacklustre with merely 50 to 60 members present. Those in attendance included some cabinet members such as Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Shireen Mazari, Murad Saeed, Shibli Faraz, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Shaukat Tarin, Pir Noorul Haq Qadri and Ali Muhammad Khan.

Allies of the ruling coalition — Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) – also showed their presence in the session with Dr Fehmida Mirza and Khalid Magsi being seen in the house. However, two other parties that usually sit on the treasury benches, Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) and Muttahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) were conspicuous by their absence.

The session, which started at 11:18am, lasted a mere 15 minutes, ending after fateha was offered for the late MNA Khayal Zaman. Prayers were also offered for the departed souls of senator Rehman Malik and former president Rafiq Tarar.

Speaking on the occasion, Speaker Asad Qaiser said he was adjourning the session until March 28 in keeping with parliamentary tradition.

But when opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif, who wanted to speak, rose in his seat, the speaker ignored him and proceeded to wrap up proceedings.

Before leaving for his chamber, the speaker said he will proceed on the no-confidence motion according to the law and Constitution.

He said it was an old tradition that the house was adjourned after a brief proceeding following the death of any member of the National Assembly. He said that in 2012 the house was adjourned this way nine times, in 2013 on four occasions, six times in 2014 and five times under the present government.

Pre-session ‘goodwill’

Interesting scenes were witnessed during the session as the opposition leader, in a rare show of goodwill, walked up to the treasury benches and greeted Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, among others.

Earlier, PML-N leader Khawaja Asif also had a chat with the finance minister before the start of proceedings.

BAP parliamentary leader Khalid Magsi and GDA leader Ghaus Baksh Mehr went up to the PPP Co Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Mr Mehr sat with the PPP leader for quite some time.

Later, while talking to reporters in the corridors of parliament, Mr Magsi said the speaker should clear the ambiguity and table the no-trust resolution on March 28.

He said the government’s allies were assessing the situation and would give their decision on voting day.

Former NA speaker and GDA leader Dr Fehmida Mirza said Mr Qiaser should table the motion in the current session, but recalled that his decision could not be challenged in any court of law.

Before the start of the NA session, opposition parties held a preliminary meeting in Parliament House, while PTI skipped convening such a sitting.

After their meeting, Asif Zardari said he was quite confident that PM Khan’s days were numbered.

Qaiser ‘stooge of Imran Khan’

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House shortly after the session was adjourned, Shehbaz Sharif lashed out at the speaker, calling him a “stooge” of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The PML-N president said that Qaiser had violated the rules of procedure by conducting proceedings as “a PTI worker”.

He said that the motion and requisition for the session was submitted on March 8 and, under the rules, the NA speaker was supposed to summon the session within 14 days. “This was a constitutional obligation and he violated the Constitution by not doing this,” he added.

He also called for the speaker to be tried under Article 6 of the Constitution, which deals with high treason.

“After the Fateha, I stood up to speak on a point of order but my microphone was not turned on,” he claimed.

It is also parliamentary convention that whenever the leader of the opposition requests time on the floor of the house, the speaker nearly always allows them to speak.

Mr Sharif agreed that according to parliamentary convention, the session would be limited to prayers for the departed MNAs, but maintained that Friday was “an important day”.

“The Constitution and the law is above tradition and voting should have been allowed [...] tradition aside, the speaker should have taken up the motion [but] he did not listen and simply left.”

Shehbaz declared that if the same thing happened at the next sitting, the opposition would use all “constitutional, political and legal” options to take the no-trust move forward.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari claimed that the PM was “fleeing the pitch” and reiterated that Speaker Asad Qaiser had violated the Constitution. “The opposition parties are united and would not let the premier ran away,” he added.

“The no-trust motion is going to be our democratic weapon. We will move towards free and fair elections,” he said, adding that the prime minister had lost “his majority and government”.

He added that the speaker had provided a “weak excuse” to avoid tabling the no-trust move. “Imran can’t run forever. The PM has no sportsman sprit and cannot face defeat with grace. The once great kaptaan will go down like a rat on a sinking ship,” he recalled ironically on the anniversary of Pakistan’s victory in the final of the 1992 cricket world cup.

Reacting to the opposition leader’s remarks, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi demanded an apology from Shehbaz for his tirade against the NA speaker

“The words you have used against Asad Qaiser are inappropriate and I want you to retract the remarks immediately,” he said, adding that the speaker was responsible for conducting proceedings in whatever manner he saw fit.

He also refuted claims that the government was “running away” from the no-confidence motion. “We will deal with it in a democratic, political, and legal way.”

Responding to a question, the minister the opposition was set to receive another surprise on March 27.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2022