NA President Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. PHOTO: APPLICATION
ISLAMABAD:
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Monday initiated the process of nominating the Leader of Opposition in the House in accordance with parliamentary rules, directing opposition lawmakers to submit their nomination by 3 p.m. Tuesday (today).
Presiding over the National Assembly session, the President told the assembly that the nomination remained pending because the matter was previously in litigation and he had been made a party to the suit. With the legal process now complete, he said, the proceedings could move forward.
At the start of the session, the house offered Fateha for the souls of the departed, including former MP Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo. The speaker later formally informed lawmakers that he was beginning the process of appointing the opposition leader.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq ordered the opposition parties to resubmit a list of members, bearing their signatures, to the President’s office within the stipulated time, after setting a new date for the process.
Speaking on a point of order, Leader of Opposition Malik Aamir Dogar of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) told the House that 76 opposition members have already signed documents appointing Mahmood Khan Achakzai as leader of opposition and submitted them to the President’s office.
He demanded immediate issuance of the notification but added that as per the President’s directive, the opposition would resubmit the list.
Syed Naveed Qamar, a senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), welcomed the start of the nomination process, but sharply criticized the government for what he described as an order issued without the president’s approval.
Calling it the darkest day in Pakistan’s parliamentary history, he claimed that an ordinance was promulgated without the President’s consent, describing it as a serious violation of the Constitution. Declaring the move unconstitutional, Qamar announced the withdrawal from the PPP. Following his remarks, PPP lawmakers walked out of the house in protest.
President Ayaz Sadiq and Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar tried to persuade PPP members to return, but their efforts failed. The Minister of Justice assured the PPP that he would consult the relevant authorities to determine how the order was issued.
Subsequently, PPP lawmaker Syed Hussain Tariq highlighted the lack of quorum. After a count confirmed the quorum was incomplete, the speaker adjourned the session until Tuesday without any procedure.
