Ruckus in NA over PPP’s protest as deputy speaker adjourns session

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Deputy Speaker Qasim Khani Suri adjourned the session till Tuesday after Pakistan Peoples’ Party member of National Assembly surrounded his dais in protest for not allowing Bilawal Bhutto Zardari speak in the assembly. During the session, the PPP lawmakers launched a strong protest after the deputy speaker named Railways Minister Shiekh Rashid Ahmed to speak instead of Bilawal. The opposition members insisted the NA deputy speaker to allow Bilawal to speak. However, the speaker responded that Bilawal will be given the chance to speak after Sheikh Rashid’s speech. Ruckus ensued as the angry opposition members went in front of speaker’s dais to lodge their protest. Despite several warnings from the deputy speaker, the PPP members continued slogans against the government and him. If not allowed to speak, he won’t let anyone else speak: Rasheed Railways Minister Shiekh Rasheed warned that if he is not allowed to speak, he won’t let anyone else speak in the house. He also thundered that if he cannot speak in the NA session then Bilawal will not speak too.

Deputy speaker refuses to bow down to Opp’s pressure tactics

Bilawal arrived in the assembly after the arrest of his father Asif Ali Zardari, after which the opposition demanded that he be allowed to speak first. A visibly annoyed Suri continued to tell the protesting members to return to their seats and warned that he will not succumb to any pressure. Suri assured the protesting MNAs that Bilawal will be allowed to speak after Sheikh Rashid's speech. The deputy speaker said that he had given the floor to the railways minister because the latter wanted to respond to Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif, who had named Rashid in his speech earlier. “Do you want me to adjourn the sitting like I did last time?” asked Suri. He then addressed Bilawal directly, assuring the PPP chairperson that he would be allowed to speak for as long as he wished if the protesting members returned to their seats. Due to the chaos in assembly, the deputy speaker adjourned the National Assembly proceedings until Tuesday 5pm when the budget is scheduled to be presented.

Reaction of Bilawal Bhutto

Bilawal in his reaction on the development said that it’s the second time that the MNAs from Jhelum and Rawalpindi were preferred over an MNA from Larkana. “My voice has been censored again. Two federal ministers were preferred over me,” he said.