Imran again becomes 'punching bag' in NA during budget debate.

ISLAMABAD -- Taking full advantage of the non-serious atmosphere and the absence of a meaningful opposition, the lawmakers on Tuesday continued to deliver one-sided and lengthy political speeches during the budget debate in the National Assembly with almost every speaker blaming the previous PTI government and former prime minister Imran Khan for the prevailing economic and political mess in the country.

Before start of the formal debate on the budget, independent MNA from the country's erstwhile tribal areas Mohsin Dawar while speaking on a point of order drew the attention of the house towards the target killing of four activists of the Youth of Waziristan, a social organisation, in North Waziristan on June 19 and warned that terrorists were once again regrouping in the area.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also attended the sitting for a brief time only to commit a blunder. The prime minister had entered the house at a time when a PTI dissident Ahmed Hussain Deharr from Multan was lambasting PTI chairman Imran Khan. He said he had handed over the files containing details of corruption to Mr Khan for five times but he remained unmoved.

At the outset of the sitting, while expressing his grave concerns over the target killing incident in North Waziristan, MNA Dawar said all those martyred in the attack were young educated people who had been working for the restoration of peace in the militancy-hit area and were demanding setting up of universities, instead of check-posts, in the region.

Dawar concerned over rise in terrorism in former tribal areas; PM briefly attends sitting

The only fault of these young men, he said, was they used to advocate peace and condemn terrorism.

'I have been raising this issue since becoming the MNA. Terrorism has not ended in there even after [launching of military operation] Zarb-i-Azb. Instead, they [terrorists] are once again regrouping and getting stronger,' said the MNA, adding that all this was happening despite the presence of 'one division of the army.'

Mr Dawar complained and alleged that the national media, particularly the TV news channels, had blacked out such incidents. He said the TV channels ran tickers even if someone's cat went missing or if a donkey-cart had an accident, but 'Pakistan's media is silent on such a big incident and this silence itself defines the root cause of such incidents'.

The MNA also regretted the silence of the mainstream parties over the incidents. Then, he said, bypassing...