Joint walkout against non-release of funds mars Senate proceedings

The joint walkout by the treasury and opposition lawmakers, against delay in provision of funds to the senators, marred the proceedings of the House on Friday. The House, which was supposed to continue debate on two very important issues - the US action in Abbottabad that led to killing of Osama bin Laden and the Presidential address to the joint sitting of the Parliament - but most of the senators both from treasury and opposition benches raised points of order and diverted the attention of the House towards the delay in provision of funds them.
They alleged Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani of neglecting the Senate members in provision of funds for the development projects and also held bureaucracy responsible for adopting delaying tactics in releasing the senators' development funds.
"It seems that the entire Senate is on revolt on the matter of funds," remarked Deputy Chairman Jan Mohammad Jamali, who was chairing the House at the time when almost all the senators wanted to speak on the issue and later staged walkout from the House compelling the Chair to adjourn the House till Monday.
PPP's Senator Mian Raza Rabbani along with others lawmakers belonging to Awami National Party (ANP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamaat-e-Islami, National Party and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, staged walkout from the House.
Earlier, speaking on a point of order, PML-Q's Senator Seemi Siddiqui, alleged that funds were being distributed among some favourites, which was against the government claim of treating all the parliamentarians equally. Seemi said that she had written several letters to the Prime Minister, but nothing had been done so far.
She urged the Deputy Chairman to arrange a meeting of female senators with the Prime Minister so that they could take up the issue with him. Zahid Khan said that it was not only the female senators' issue, but the male members of the Senate were also facing the same problem. He urged the Chair to constitute a committee, as he alleged bureaucracy for its involvement in making hurdles in releasing of the funds.
Khan said that the government should ensure that their development funds might not lapse for the current year. Senator Sardar Ali was of the view that Prime Minister paid less importance to the senators, adding that members of the National Assembly were being issued funds, but it was only the senators who were being neglected. Senator Raziq Khan alleged that the Prime Minister was treating the Senate as step-mother and no member from the Upper House was part of the delegation of his recent visit to France.
Hajji Adeel complained that he had yet to receive funds for the last four years for development schemes. He suggested that the entire House including treasury and opposition benches should stage walkout against the attitude of the Prime Minister and bureaucracy. Later, the members staged walkout from the House forcing the chair to adjourn the proceedings till Monday.