Pandemonium, fracas mar NA proceedings

ISLAMABAD: Boisterous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) members once again marred the National Assembly proceedings by chanting slogans and resorting to fracas least bothering to the requests of the Speaker to run the House smoothly as agreed between the parties.

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq repeatedly requested PTI's parliamentary leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi to restrain his party members to honour the commitment made to other parties when the issue was discussed at a meeting.

"You have not honoured your commitment. You started all this. The atmosphere was cordial before you started chanting slogans," the Speaker commented.

"On one hand you talk of respecting the House and on the other you are adulterating the atmosphere. This is breach of trust and commitment you had made," he added.

He said Leader of the Opposition Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah had culminated his speech smoothly "but you and your party started pandemonium."

As reflected by the Speaker's observation, it was apparent that it was agreed at the meeting to allow the opposition parties to speak on points of order on the Panama issue as the decision on their privilege motion was yet to come.

But, the PTI members were neither ready to listen to the Speaker nor to the treasury members reply as it seemed that they had pre-planned for what they had demonstrated. "You have talked out your point and now you will have to listen to the other side also.

This is uncalled for that you are disrupting and maligning the respect of the House," the Speaker said.

The proceedings of the House reflected the usual tendency of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf's street politics as they trampled down democratic norms of listening to each other's point of view and bearing with fellow parliamentarians.

It is worth mentioning that the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentaions members showed wisdom and respect for the House and remained present at their seats, keeping aloof of the agitating politics of PTI.

The treasury members expressed utmost restraint as they were waiting for their turn to reply to the allegations of the opposition parties. But, the opposition parties as usual kept chanting slogans and passing objectionable remarks, also insisting the Speaker only to allow time to the opposition members.

It was evident from the proceedings that the treasury members listened to the opposition's claims and allegations just with an expectation to speak at their turn. But, the moment did not come as it seemed apparently that the opposition would move away after hurling their rhetoric.

So, the time came when the PTI members touched the limit of patience of the treasury members and happening in the House culminated in a brawl between them, who indulged in pushing each other in front of the Speaker's dice as there is always a limit of patience against insulting remarks and slogans.

This sorry state of affairs forced the Speaker to adjourn the proceedings of the House for 15 minutes and when the House proceedings started again, the opposition parties walked out of the House as usual without listening to the view point of the government.