Govt, Opposition Agree To Ensure Smooth Conduct Of Parliamentary Proceeding

The government and opposition on Thursday evolved consensus and decided to ensure smooth conduct of ongoing budget session in the Parliament that remained distributed during the last three days due to some unpleasant episodes

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jun, 2021 ) :The government and opposition on Thursday evolved consensus and decided to ensure smooth conduct of ongoing budget session in the Parliament that remained distributed during the last three days due to some unpleasant episodes.

"It is a welcoming development that the government and opposition have reached on an agreement, and from now onward, the parliamentary proceeding will be carried out as per routine," Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain told media along with Minister for Defence Pervaiz Khattak here at the Parliament House.

He said parliamentary teams of government and opposition held a detailed discussion over the unpleasant environment in the Parliament and admitted that it brought embarrassment for the House.

The minister said the meeting was of the view that there should not be such an environment that could affect functioning of the institutions.

Giving details of the meeting, he said the government team was led by Pervaiz Khattak, comprising Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, PTI Chief Whip Amir Dogar and he [Fawad] himself, while opposition team was consisted of PML-N's Rana Sanaullah, Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Tanvir, and PPP's Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Shazia Marri.

The Information Minister said the meeting also proposed to form a parliamentary committee, comprising members from both treasury and opposition benches, that would be responsible for the conduct of their respective members in the House.

The meeting, he said, also agreed that no individual would be targeted and insulted during budget speeches of parliamentarians from the both treasury and opposition benches.

Till formation of the committee, he said, the leadership of parliamentary parties would ensure practicing parliamentary norms by their respective members in the National Assembly.

Fawad said the committee would also look into the possibilities of increasing the powers of the Speaker National Assembly.

He said the government team had requested the opposition to withdraw the no-confidence motion it submitted against Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri, expressing optimism that there would be a positive response.

Answering a question, he said Pervaiz Khattak had chaired a Parliamentary Committee meeting of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the government allies, during which 186 members had shown complete confidence in Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.

"We [PTI] want a good environment in the Parliament," he said, adding the government believed in promoting supremacy of the Constitution and democratic norms in the country.

Replying to another question, Fawad said Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were being developed in the country to ensure transparency and fast compilation of election results, adding the EVMs would also be used in elections of the Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRA), Press Clubs and the Bar associations.