The proceedings of the National Assembly remained lacklustre because majority of the parliamentarians focused their attention on hearing of NRO implementation case in the Supreme Court today (Thursday).
Almost all senior parliamentarians of Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) and other political parties did not attend the today (Wednesday) sitting of the National Assembly, as they knew that nothing important will be taken up by the lower house - reason being the government would have been busy in preparation for today (Thursday).
Leader of opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Asfandyar Wali, Maulan Zaflur Rehman, Dr Farooq Sattar and other senior parliamentary parties' leaders were not present in the House. The Prime Minister who frequently attends the sessions of the National Assembly was also not present in the House. President Asif Ali Zardari has urgently called special session of the National Assembly on the decision of the PPP-government and its coalition partners after Supreme Court's decision on NRO implementation case.
There was enough strength of treasury and opposition members in the first two sittings of the House before passage of the resolution for strengthening democratic system in the country. Even, PPP Chief Whip Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah was trying and convincing the treasury members not to leave and ensure their presence in the House when the resolution had to be passed the other day. Earlier on Tuesday, Khurshid Shah had made hectic efforts to ensure presence of treasury members in the Lower House of the Parliament so that there should be no hurdle in passage of the resolution.
But today, it was observed that the members were busy in small corner meetings in the House during proceeding of the National Assembly. Even there were only four items in orders of the day. But the House took up only two items of the agenda; one is Calling Attention Notice and other introduction of a bill relating to provide legal cover to by-elections. The House could not take up one calling attention notice relating to slow work on the construction of warehouses at Wagha Border hindering trade activities and export from Pakistan while the other was about passing of The National Commission for Women Bill, 2011.
The absence of the senior members of PPP-government and its coalition partners from the House was perhaps, because they would have been busy in making strategy for the Prime Minster to appear before the Supreme Court today (Thursday). In this regard, ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali, PPP ministers, leaders and workers and senior leaders of PML-Q would also accompany the Prime Minister to the Supreme Court. Today (Thursday) would be a day of historic importance for the ruling junta and its coalition partners as the Prime Minister will present himself before the top judiciary on NRO verdict case.