The government on Monday failed to maintain the required quorum in the National Assembly as PPP lawmakers stayed away from the proceedings, forcing the chair to adjourn the sitting without taking up any agenda item.
The 336-member house requires at least 84 lawmakers to form a quorum. The lack of numbers was pointed out by PTI lawmaker Iqbal Afridi after Speaker Ayaz Sadiq refused to give him the floor to raise a point of order.
The speaker ordered a headcount and suspended the proceedings until the quorum was completed. However, after around 35 minutes, Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah, who had taken the chair, found the house still short of the required strength and adjourned the sitting until Tuesday.
Soon after the adjournment, PPP lawmaker Sharmila Farooqui posted on X: “No PPP, no quorum, simple.”
Speaking to Dawn, Ms Farooqui said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had already made it clear that the party would no longer cooperate with the PML-N on maintaining quorum or legislation in parliament until its concerns over alleged rigging and mismanagement in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections were addressed.
She said even PPP lawmakers who had been present at the beginning of the Question Hour left the chamber after seeing only around 20 to 25 PML-N members on the treasury benches. According to her, PPP lawmakers had previously helped the government maintain the required quorum.
Ms Farooqui said the party would maintain its current position until its concerns over the AJK elections were resolved. However, she did not specify what measures the PPP wanted the PML-N to take, particularly since the election process had already been completed.
The latest development comes amid growing differences between the two coalition partners over the AJK elections. Although the PPP supported the government in passing two security-related bills last week, Mr Bhutto-Zardari had, in the presence of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, expressed reservations over the government’s approach to legislation.
Following the dispute over the AJK polls, a PPP delegation led by Mr Bhutto-Zardari also met opposition leaders and sought their cooperation on legislation in parliament and its committees.
At the beginning of the sitting, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq expressed concern over the murder of Hina Javed in Rawalpindi and referred the matter to the relevant National Assembly committee.
The speaker said Ms Javed had served in the National Assembly after being posted there by the National IT Board from December 2019 until June this year, when she returned to her parent department.
Although such cases generally fall under provincial jurisdiction, Mr Sadiq said the incident was of particular concern because of her association with the National Assembly. He condemned the manner of her killing and violence against women, describing the issue as a matter of serious concern.
He also appreciated the Women Parliamentary Caucus for taking up the case and assured it of the National Assembly’s support in monitoring the investigation and providing assistance where required.
Law and Human Rights Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the ministry was in regular contact with Rawalpindi police over the investigation. He said two suspects had been placed on three-day physical remand and expressed confidence that those responsible would be brought to justice.
