Joint session of Parliament postponed after opposition's protest
Last updated on: 06 August,2019 03:51 pm
Joint session of Parliament postponed after opposition's protest.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The joint session of the Parliament – initially postponed for 20 minutes – could not be resumed after more than three hours on Tuesday following the opposition’s protest for not mentioning Article 370 in the resolution that was tabled by the government.
The joint session was summoned by President Dr Arif Alvi to analyze the situation after Indian government’s decision to end occupied Kashmir’s special status by abrogating Article 35A and Article 370, and Indian atrocities in the occupied valley.
Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Leader of the Opposition in the NA Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and others were present in the session as it commenced.
The opposition raised slogans when Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari addressed the NA. Federal Minister for Railways supported the opposition over its stance, and Article 370 was then included in the resolution after amendment.
The session is expected to continue for two days and will be attended by Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mehmood Abbasi and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Zubair Mahmood Hayat.
Govt delegation meets Shehbaz Sharif
A government delegation – led by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Muhammad Khan – met Shehbaz Sharif to ensure peaceful proceedings of the NA session.
The opposition demanded Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to attend the Parliament session. Ali Muhammad Khan maintained that Imran Khan will start the debate in the joint session, and the opposition leader will address the NA afterwards.
Ahsan Iqbal
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Ahsan Iqbal – while talking to media – bashed the government for not mentioning Article 370 in the resolution and termed the mistake as unforgivable.
Ahsan Iqbal said the opposition had no option but to protest as it has to deal with an incompetent government. The PML-N leader also criticized the foreign minister for not attending the NA session.