Shehbaz lashed out at NA speaker Asad Qaiser

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, and Muslim League Nawaz leader Shehbaz Sharif, on Wednesday spoke out at the Speaker of the National Assembly, Asad Qaiser.

He criticised the speaker for not letting the opposition leaders speak during the joint session of the parliament on Wednesday.

A joint sitting of parliament, earlier today, passed amendments in three bills crucial to the fulfillment of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) requirements. However, the opposition walked out of the joint sitting in protest after most of their proposed amendments in the bills were rejected by the government. They also criticised the government and the speaker for not letting the opposition speak.

“Asad Qaiser did not allow a debate to take place on our proposed amendments to the bills,” said Shehbaz.

Shehbaz said that “genuine amendments” to the bills were not entertained, adding that he would register a strong protest against the speaker of the national assembly for not letting him speak.

“I even went to the place where the speaker sits with his staff and requested him to let me speak. Neither did he respond to me nor did he allowed me to speak,’ said Shehbaz adding that this was a very unparliamentary attitude adopted by the government.

Recalling the joint session and the way opposition was treated, the former Punjab chief minister said it was a “Black Day” in the history of the parliament. He further said that the opposition will decide mutually on what action to take against the speaker.

Rejecting the impression that the opposition wants a National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) Shehbaz said the leaders from different political parties are fighting cases registered against themselves bravely. “Leaders Rana Sanaullah, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and PPP’s Khursheed Shah were already being targeted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB),” he said.