Opposition walks out on fifth consecutive day: breakfast meeting with PM on Fata reforms not yet honoured

Opposition parties in the National Assembly Friday walked out from the House on the fifth consecutive day while the government failed to honour its commitment of arranging a breakfast of parliamentary leaders of opposition parties with the Prime Minister to sort out FATA reforms issue.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab had assured the opposition parties on the floor of the House a couple of days back of arranging their meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to resolve the FATA reforms issue.
He said the Prime Minister would return from Turkey on Thursday and then a breakfast of all parliamentary leaders of the opposition parties would be arranged on Friday to discuss a way out for the FATA reforms bill. The opposition members including Pakistan Peoples Party member Naveed Qamar and President Awami Muslim League Sheikh Rashid complained that some members also reached the PM House for the breakfast but returned disappointed.
Meanwhile, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq expressed his displeasure over non-receipt of answers to questions of the members from the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD).
Minister for CADD Tariq Fazal Chaudhry informed the Speaker that he was taking administrative action against the relevant persons in the ministry, but he failed to satisfy the speaker.
The speaker said he was writing a letter to the PM recommending three-day suspension of the Secretary of the Ministry for his negligence. "If the PM does not suspend him, I am not going to sit in the House," he said.
Later, Ayaz Sadiq also directed the CADD Minister to come to his chamber along with secretary and joint secretary of the ministry.
A few days ago during proceedings of the House, the speaker had expressed dismay over non-receipt of the answers to questions asked by the members by Ministry of SAFRON and announced to write a letter to the Prime Minister recommending three-day suspension of the secretary.
Earlier, shortly after the proceedings of the House began, PPP member Naveed Qamar said the government did not seem serious in tabling the FATA reforms bill in the House for a vote as it had failed to honour its repeated commitments with the opposition on the issue.
He asked the government to show courage and announce on the floor of the House if it was not interested in tabling the bill.
Sheikh Rashid said that Daesh, a militant outfit, was making its inroads in the tribal areas while the current devaluation of the rupee had caused Rs 440billion addition in the loans.
He said if the government failed to improve the economic situation then it would not be able to give money to the army for operations against the militants.
An independent member from FATA, Shah Jee Gul Afridi said the government should resign if it could not go ahead with the promised FATA reforms due to just two individuals, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Mahmood Khan Achakzai.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement member Sheikh Salahuddin, Jamaat-e-Islami member Sher Akbar and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional member Ghaus Buksh Mehr also urged the government to table the FATA reforms bill to resolve the controversy.
Speaking on the issue, JUI-F member Jamal-ud-Din claimed that over 80 percent of the tribal members did not favour merger the FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He said the government should initiate dialogue with the FATA people to resolve the issue.
Ayaz Sadiq suspended proceedings of the House till completion of the quorum after PPP member Shagufta Jumani pointed out the quorum. Later, proceedings of the House were adjourned due to lack of the quorum.