The National Assembly Friday passed a resolution amid a strong protest to extend "The Gas Infrastructure Development Cess Ordinance, 2014" for a further period of 120 days. The ordinance was lapsing on January 22, 2015. All opposition members stood in the lobby, with the exception of Alizeh Iqbal Haider who was left behind to specifically point out the lack of a quorum with the objective of creating hurdles for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in the proceedings for the passage of the resolution to extend the Ordinance.
Alizeh Iqbal Haider pointed out the lack of a quorum but in vain as the House was found to be in order. Support was extended to the government by the members of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) - who have been protesting and staging a walkout from the House for the last six-days of the session against government attitude - and the quorum in the House was maintained.
The government on Thursday had to defer "The Gas Infrastructure Development Cess Ordinance, 2014" after strong resistance by the Opposition. But on Friday, Deputy Speaker National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbasi took up the resolution to extend the Ordinance for 120 days and the treasury members passed the resolution amid protest and sloganeering by the opposition members.
The members of all opposition parties stood up and moved towards the Speaker's dais in protest while raising slogans against the Ordinance. The members of Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were in the forefront denouncing the ordinance and chanting "Ordinance unacceptable, black law unacceptable, withdraw the ordinance." Afterwards, the Opposition members staged a walkout from the House in protest against the Ordinance.
Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Co-ordination Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada expressed his sorrow at the opposition attitude and said that pointing out lack of quorum is against democratic norms and values. "I condemn the attitude of the opposition," he said. Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the Ordinance had been initiated during the PPP-led government for the purpose of collecting funds for the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project and other gas infrastructure projects.
He said that there is an energy shortfall in the country and 60% of which is related to gas. He added that funds are required to acquire additional gas and said that "we will move a bill for this purpose soon for legislation. This ordinance or coming legislation will not burden the common man. The basic purpose of the ordinance and coming legislation would be to resolve the issue of gas shortages," he said. Later, FATA members staged a walkout from the House in protest against the attitude and non-response of federal government and the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK).
Treasury member Ghalib Khan of Fata while speaking on the floor of the House said that Fata members are daily staging a walkout from the House but there has been no response from the government. "We will continue to stage a walkout if the government does not remove our reservations about the KPK Governor. We should not be forced to stage a sit-in in front of the stage (Speaker's dais)," he warned.
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