Khursheed Shah assails fellow cabinet members over absence from NA.

ISLAMABAD -- The absence of a meaningful opposition in the National Assembly was filled by senior parliamentarian and Minister for Water Resources Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah on Wednesday when he lambasted the 'non-serious attitude' of his colleagues in the federal cabinet during the ongoing budget debate and threatened to disrupt the proceedings by pointing out quorum, if the speaker did not ensure the presence of Finance Minister Miftah Ismail in the house.

The aggressive speech by PPP leader compelled Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, also from the PPP, to suspend the proceedings in order to provide time to lawmakers and the ministers to come to the house.

The speaker had suspended the proceedings for 30 minutes, but the house met again after nearly 90 minutes and only after State Minister for Finance Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha, who was attending a parliamentary committee meeting, came to the assembly hall.

'Look at the house today. No cabinet minister is present here,' said Mr Shah while addressing the speaker and pointing towards the empty seats.

PPP minister threatens to disrupt proceedings by pointing out quorum

'I had come to you [the speaker] yesterday with the same complaint. In principle, as a member of the cabinet, I should not have talked like this but I am compelled to do so because first I am a parliamentarian,' said Mr Shah who belongs to the PPP, a major partner in the ruling coalition under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

'I have even told the prime minister that he should come here. Parliament is the first. Governments cannot be run without giving respect to the parliament,' said Mr Shah as little over two dozen lawmakers present in the house watched him speaking in anger.

The PPP leader from Sukkur, who had served as the opposition leader during the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, reminded the speaker that he had asked him in his chamber on Tuesday to call the prime minister, stating that if the things were not changed then 'we will also not come to the house'.

'Where is the finance minister? This is his responsibility to be present here. We have made the parliament a joke,' said Mr Shah.

'What is the fault of these MNAs who come here and go home after two hours feeling insulted,' the PPP leader said while asking the speaker to adjourn the proceedings till the arrival of the members, stating that otherwise he would point out lack of quorum, for which the presence of one-fourth (86 members) of the 342-member...