PML-N stages walkout from National Assembly against gas and power loadshedding

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday staged walkout from the National Assembly against the severe electricity and gas load shedding in the country. Opposition leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on a point of order that the people were facing many problems and their life had become miserable due to power and gas load shedding in the country.
He said that children were going to schools without breakfast due to non-availability of gas. While on the other hand, 18 hours load shedding of electricity was being carried out, he added. "Today, we would start silent protest against the government for power and gas load shedding. But this protest would be intensified with the passage of time if the government did not pay any attention to this issue," he said.
While criticising the Finance and Petroleum ministers, the opposition leader asked the government to accept responsibility and ensure presence of the ministers in the House to respond the opposition's points and queries. "We have forgotten the face of Finance Minister," he said.
He said, "The government has printed Rs 78 billion currency notes during last month and this process continues while it is dropping another bombshell on the people in the shape of increase in electricity bills," he said. The opposition leader said, "Today the Petroleum Minister says that all CNG stations will be closed in January. The Minister says that if the CNG stations were not closed then all compressors of the gas will be closed and gas would not be available for two weeks. What the government has done and been doing for last four year to address the situation," he questioned.
After the speech of opposition Leader, the PML-N parliamentarians staged walkout from the House. While responding the Opposition Leader, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Shah said that on Thursday PML-N itself gave proposal to close CNG stations for one month in a meeting of National Assembly Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Recourses. He said that this proposal was given by PML-N members in Standing Committee. The opposition Leader first should maintain discipline in his party before raising this issue on the floor of the House. It was nothing except political point securing, he said.
He said that the government did not want gas load shedding but the demand of gas had increased due to increasing population. "The government wants to provide gas to the people and industries but it is facing problems due to gas shortage," he said. He said that more gas would be discovered till March 2012. He said that Sindh produced 74 percent gas but it use only 24 percent while reaming gas was being used by KP and Punjab.
About the presence of ministers in the House, Shurshid Shah said, "I fully agree with the Opposition Leader, the ministers should be present in the House to respond the members. The Finance Minister should come to the house to respond the Opposition," he said.
About the performance of the parliament, the minister said that this parliament passed as many as 86 bills in four years while the previous parliament passed 50 bills in five years. This parliament has conducted six joint sitting including two in-cameras sitting while in the past it did not do so. This parliament passed two amendments to strengthen the insinuations while the previous parliament passed amendment to strengthen a person.