Opposition leader irked at poor attendance in NA

ISLAMABAD: The opposition leader in the National Assembly (NA), Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Khursheed Shah, came down hard on the speaker on Tuesday over the dismal attendance in the Lower House of Parliament.  

"Who's job is it to ensure that the quorum is complete?" wondered Shah while speaking in the assembly. 

Shah said they will not let Parliament function this way. 

The PPP leader said this [low attendance] was the case under the last cabinet as well, adding that [former prime minister] Nawaz Sharif did not give due importance to Parliament and thus went home. 

"We want to speak but there's no one here. We come here for the session. It's not like we have not got other things to do. We visit our constituencies and attend the session as well," he commented.  

At the moment there are only one and a half ministers present in the house, he added. 

In response, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq summoned the ministers of information, Capital Administration and Development Division and parliamentary affairs. He said he wants to run the house on his terms and not the ministers'. 

"If the ministers do not come then the pending bills will be approved," he claimed.