NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. PHOTO: APP
ISLAMABAD:
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Monday initiated the process to appoint the Leader of the Opposition in the House in accordance with parliamentary rules, and directed the opposition lawmakers to submit their nomination by 5 p.m. 15.00 Tuesday (today).
As Speaker of the National Assembly session, the Speaker told the House that the appointment had remained pending because the case was previously under trial and he had been made a party to the case. With the legal process now complete, he said, the procedure could move forward.
At the beginning of the meeting, the House offered Fateha to the departed souls, including former MNA Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo. The Speaker later formally informed the lawmakers that he was in the process of appointing the Leader of the Opposition.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq directed the opposition parties to resubmit a list of members with their signatures to the Speaker’s office within the stipulated time, after fixing a new date for the process.
In a statement to the point of order, Opposition Chief Whip Malik Aamir Dogar of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) told the House that 76 opposition members had already signed documents nominating Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the Leader of the Opposition and had submitted them to the Speaker’s office.
He demanded an immediate release of the notice, but added that the opposition, in accordance with the Speaker’s directive, would resubmit the list.
Senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Naveed Qamar welcomed the initiation of the appointment process but strongly criticized the government over what he described as an executive order issued without the president’s approval.
Calling it the darkest day in Pakistan’s parliamentary history, he claimed that an executive order had been issued without the president’s consent, describing it as a grave violation of the constitution. Qamar declared the constitution unconstitutional and announced a PPP exit. Following his remarks, PPP lawmakers walked out of the house in protest.
Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar tried to persuade PPP members to return, but their efforts were unsuccessful. The Law Minister assured the OPP that he would consult the relevant authorities to determine how the order had been issued.
Subsequently, PPP legislator Syed Hussain Tariq pointed out the lack of quorum. After a number of staff confirmed the quorum was incomplete, the speaker adjourned the session until Tuesday without any business.
