ISLAMABAD:
The opposition protest marred the proceedings of the National Assembly on the third day of the current session on Thursday, forcing Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah to adjourn the session till Friday (today).
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers launched a noisy protest at the start of question hour in the house. They raised loud slogans in the house and tore the copies of the agenda. Treasury members accused the opposition of avoiding debate on public issues.
Meanwhile, the opposition Iqbal Afridi pointed out the lack of quorum, after which the session was briefly suspended. However, the question of quorum persisted when the chamber resumed its session. Having said that, the president suspends the session until Friday (today).
Earlier, during the brief proceedings, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, while answering a question during Question Hour, told the camera that PTI founder Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bbi and her friend Farah Gogi were involved in a £190 million corruption case. .
The Information Minister, responding to another question, told the National Assembly that the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam, one of the largest in the world, would be completed on time, which would help reduce the risk of flooding.
He said land acquisition for the dam was completed in 2013 and in the first phase, the work of diversion of Indus River to Diamer-Bhasha Dam was completed in May 2024. Tarar added that a permanent bridge has been constructed over the dam. in June 2024.
Replying to another question, the Information Minister said that electricity generation was surplus, while the Ministry of Power was considering various proposals to meet the required electricity demand in the country.
Replying to a question by Member of National Assembly (MNA) Syed Rafiullah, Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Dr Nelson Azeem informed the house that the tender for the Nursing Council regulations was transparently awarded to the lowest bidder.
The parliamentary secretary explained that five parties participated in the tender, of which four presented offers. He added that one match was rejected, while of the remaining two matches, the offer was awarded to the lowest priced match.
He said none of the parties have filed any complaint in the court, while no complaint was registered against the tender. The parliamentary secretary said the bidding process was transparent and the lowest bidder was awarded. (WITH INPUT FROM THE APP)
