The National Assembly witnessed rowdy scenes on Monday, as the proceedings could not last for more than 20 minutes due to opposition's boisterous protest on Karachi carnage. Journalist community also boycotted the house proceedings against firing on Aaj television and Business Recorder by armed men.
In the absence of Speaker Amir Hussain, Zaheer Abbas Khokhar was in the chair but he failed to calm down the opposition which shouted full throated slogans "Go Musharraf Go" and "Katilo Jawab Do Zulm Ka Hisab Do".
As the proceedings started 45 minutes behind the schedule, journalists stormed out of the press gallery followed by opposition's chants against President Musharraf and Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi moved a motion before the house to suspend all the agenda items and allow a two-day debate on law and order situation particularly the bloodshed in Karachi on May 12.
The opposition members said innocent people have been killed in Karachi. Religio-political alliance leader Liaqat Baloch pointed fingers towards the MQM members, saying they were 'solely responsible' for the bloodshed in Karachi.
PML head Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain also took the floor and said the opposition parties should help the government to calm down the countrywide worsening situation.
He said he called MQM Chief Altaf Hussain, ANP head Asfand Yar Wali and Khurshid Shah of PPP to help the government in normalising the situation that he feared was moving towards ethnic conflicts. However, the opposition benches demanded of President Musharraf to immediately step down.
The house offered fateha for the wife of Chaudhry Amir Hussain who breathed her last some two days back and for those 35 people who were shot dead in Karachi.
It appeared so difficult for Chairman Zaheer Abbas Khokhar to run the stormy proceedings, that he adjourned the house after hardly 20 minutes. Meanwhile, State Minister for Information Tariq Azeem, Minister for Investment Zahid Hamid and Minister for Culture G.G Jamal came to press gallery that echoed with the slogans of "shame, shame".
Journalists demanded an independent judicial inquiry headed by a senior Supreme Court judge of the firing attack at Aaj television channel and Business Recorder office.
They alleged that Muttahida Qaumi Movement-government's ally-was responsible for the firing attack at news channel and other media persons in Karachi on May 12 when Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was scheduled to address the Sindh High Court Bar Association. Journalists made it clear that they would continue their protest unless the government and MQM tendered unconditional apology on the floor of the house.