ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Wednesday set aside privilege motions submitted by opposition parties in the House against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his act of lying to the Parliament over Panama issue.
The privilege motions were submitted by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI); however, the Speaker rejected them, saying that Panama Papers Case was sub-judice in the Supreme Court and the matter could not be discussed in the Parliament.
“The matter is sub-judice and under the rules permission can’t be granted for a privilege motion,” the Speaker clarified.
The PTI lawmakers, who returned to the Parliament after months long boycott over Panama issue, staged a strong protest in front the Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. They tore away copies of session’s agenda and chanted slogans against the prime minister.
In return, the Federal Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique also led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers to raise slogans against Imran Khan as tit-for-tat move.
Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah said on a point of order that the PPP always played a pivotal role in strengthening and protecting the Parliament and democracy in Pakistan.
Khursheed Shah said that the Parliament was a sacred institution and it was responsibility of all of them to uphold its sanctity. He said that sanctity of institutions should have not been undermined in any way.
The opposition leader also criticized the PML-N’s government and said that it was rapidly losing its popularity.
But the opposition members especially the PTI lawmakers didn’t allow Khawaja Saad Rafique to speak and eventually the House was adjourned till Thursday afternoon at 4:00 pm.
Later talking to media outside the Parliament House, Khawaja Saad Rafique said that PTI practiced politics of confrontation and agitation. He alleged that PTI members were conspiring against democracy.
