Refusal to debate judicial crisis triggers walkout

The government's refusal to debate deepening judicial crisis on Monday triggered a noisy walkout by the combined opposition from the National Assembly (NA). The 40th session of the Lower House kicked off amid slogans of "Go Musharraf Go" and "War to go on till freedom of judiciary" and gherao of the Speaker podium.
The opposition completely dominated during the entire proceedings and made it impossible for the government to take up even a single item of 30-item agenda of the day.
The opposition stuck to its demand that prevailing judicial crisis vis-à-vis arrests of political activists be debated and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz should inform the House why the reference was forwarded to the President against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
But Speaker Amir Hussain did not allow them to speak on the issue, saying the matter was sub judice. "This is a forum of representatives of 160 million people. Mr Speaker this Assembly would become irrelevant if we don't discuss critical issues today," said PPP-P Secretary General Raja Pervez Ashraf.
The opposition benches said legal fraternity was holding countrywide protests against the Presidential reference, adding that the crisis would further deepen if the Parliament did not play its role.
PML-N acting parliamentary leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said there was increasing hatred among the people for military. "We should debate in the House why people are chanting slogans against military. How Chief Justice was manhandled? We should debate it in the House," he demanded.
PPP-P Aitzaz Ahsan, who arrived in the National Assembly amid loud desk-thumping from opposition benches, contested Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi that the matter was sub judice. He said the government has itself said on number of occasions that Supreme Judicial Council was not a court and it was conducting an inquiry only.
"We can ask leader of the House that why did he forward the reference to the President," he added. Aitzaz went on saying that Prime Minister's decision to forward reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has brought embarrassment to all the treasury members. "I promise Mr Speaker. You please allow debate and all of us would never comment on any sub judice matter," he requested Speaker Amir Hussain.
He alleged that the government has brought a large number of bogus lawyers from Gujrat to hold pro-Musharraf demonstration when Supreme Judicial Council meets on Tuesday to take up the Presidential reference against Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. On the other hand, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi and Law Minister Wasi Zafar opposed the opposition demand and said the matter cannot be discussed in the Parliament.
Speaker also endorsed the ministers and did not allow the opposition members to debate prevailing judicial crisis, prompting a noisy walkout from all the opposition parties. Later, Chaudhry Amir Hussain adjourned the session till Tuesday evening at 1700 hours.