ISLAMABAD:
The opposition protest on Thursday marred proceedings in the National Assembly on the third day of the ongoing session, forcing Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah to adjourn the session till Friday (today).
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers launched a noisy protest at the start of the Question Hour in the house. They raised loud slogans in the room and tore up copies of the agenda. Treasury members accused the opposition of avoiding debate on issues of public interest.
Meanwhile, Iqbal Afridi of the opposition pointed out the lack of quorum, after which the session was briefly adjourned. However, the quorum issue persisted when the House resumed sitting. With this, the President adjourns the meeting until Friday (today).
Earlier, during the brief proceedings, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, while answering a question during the Question Hour, told the house that PTI founder Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bbi and her friend Farah Gogi were involved in a £190 million corruption case. .
The Information Minister, responding to another question, told the National Assembly that the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam – one of the largest dams in the world – would be completed on time, which would help reduce the flood risks.
He said the land acquisition for the dam was completed in 2013 and in the first phase, the work of diversion of river Indus to Diamer-Bhasha Dam was completed in May 2024. Tarar added that a Permanent bridge was built over the dam in June 2024.
Responding to another question, the Information Minister said there was surplus electricity generation, while the Energy Ministry was studying various proposals to meet the required electricity demand in the country.
Replying to a question from Member of the National Assembly (MNA), Syed Rafiullah, Parliamentary Secretary for National Health, Dr. Nelson Azeem informed the House that the tender for the Nursing Council Regulations had been transparently allocated to the lowest bidder.
The parliamentary secretary explained that five parties had applied for the tender, of which four had submitted offers. He added that one party was rejected, while among the two remaining parties, the bid was awarded to the lowest bidder.
He said no party had filed a complaint in court and no complaint had been registered against the takeover bid. The parliamentary secretary said the tender process was transparent and was awarded to the lowest bidder. (WITH INPUT FROM THE APPLICATION)
