Members of the PPP and media representatives walked out as during the National Assembly session on Friday over separate matters.
The PPP, which is a coalition partner of the ruling PML-N in the Centre, has been incensed after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s remarks amid an ongoing rift between the two parties over flood relief. Meanwhile journalists have been protesting a raid by Islamabad police at the National Press Club (NPC) yesterday, during which media persons were assaulted and well.
A while after the NA session began today, PPP’s Naveed Qamar said, “I want to say this on record that in the last session, we had raised some issues. We had also protested and walked out. After that, the government sent a team that engaged in dialogue with us.”
But, he continued, nothing has changed. “There is has been no difference on the ground […] We cannot be a part of this House until this matter is resolved.”
“So we are walking out today,” he announced.
The PPP had walked out of the last NA session as well on September 30 over Maryam’s remarks.
The war of words between the two sides, which had begun over flood compensation, expanded to water rights on the Indus River as the Punjab’s chief minister told the PPP leadership to keep its advice to itself. In response, the PPP had lawmakers stayed away from the National Assembly and Senate sittings to protest the diatribe.
On Wednesday, PPP and PML-N bigwigs met in Islamabad to find a way out of the row, with the former asking Maryam to “rethink her tone” while speaking about water rights and Sindh’s ruling party.
During the meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Law Minister Azam Nazir, Senator Rana Sanaullah and PPP’s Navid Qamar and Ijaz Jakhrani at the NA speaker’s office, it was agreed that the matter would be taken up with PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and CM Maryam Nawaz.
Media persons walk out
Separately, a Dawn.com correspondent at the NA reported that journalists, too, had boycotted today’s session over yesterday’s police raid at the NPC.
Members of the Parliamentary Reporters Association of Pakistan (PRA) walked out of the press gallery, led by PRA President MB Soomro and Secretary Naveed Akbar.
A statement issued by the PRA in this connection said the NPC was “home to journalists” that was attacked by Islamabad police yesterday. “Violence against journalists and such incidents are becoming common,” it said, adding that the PRA considered these occurrences as a “reflection of undemocratic thinking”.
The association also strongly condemned the incident.
While journalists boycotted the session, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq urged that some treasury bench members hold dialogue with journalists.
Subsequently, Public Affairs Minister Rana Mubashir Iqbal, Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik and Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Bilal Azhar Kayani went to the NA’s press lounge on the speaker’s directives. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry also reached the press lounge.
More to follow
