Islamabad:
The National Assembly witnessed a heated exchange between the Government and the opposition when PTI legislators organized a protest and left after the opposition leader was denied the floor before the time of the question began.
The session, chaired by Na Ayaz Sadiq, began with routine procedures, including the announcement of the presidents panel.
However, chaos exploded when the opposition leader of Na’s opposition, Omar Ayub, was denied permission to speak, which led PTI legislators to raise slogans and hit the desks before leaving in protest.
Later, an opposition member pointed out a lack of quorum, but a staff confirmed that the government had the required numbers and the session could continue.
When the session began without opposition members, the legislators discussed several issues, including the Treaty of the Water of the Indo, and the Government reveals that India has been pressing modifications in the 65 -year agreement, ignoring the repeated diplomatic efforts of Pakistan.
Concerns were also raised about the decrease in water levels in the main deposits, with official figures that indicate a critically low storage in Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma dams.
In the Indo Water Treaty, the Parliamentary Secretary of Water Resources, Rana Ansar, revealed that India is pressing for modifications to the agreement.
PPP legislator, Nafisa Shah, asked what Pakistan’s position has been. Ansar replied that Islamabad has participated in correspondence with New Delhi since March 2023, but has not received an answer.
Meanwhile, the speaker expressed his discontent by the Ministry of Water Resources for not providing responses to parliamentary consultations.
The speaker demanded a written explanation of the concerned officials and summoned the secretary of water resources after the PPP leader, Naveed Qamar, insisted that the minister should have been present in the Chamber to answer consultations.
In the session, the leader of Jui-F, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, asked about the state of the port of Gwadar. The parliamentary secretary, Dr. Darshan, replied that the port is completely operational.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health presented a written response, revealing that 74.61 cases of HIV have been registered throughout the country. He said that there are currently 94 antiretroviral therapy centers (art) throughout the country for HIV treatment.
PPP legislator Sharmila Faruqi raised concerns about the short water scarcity of Sindh, particularly in Badin, Thatta and Tharparkar.
She questioned the claims that Punjab would assign her participation in the Cholistan Canal project, stating that Sindh already receives less of due participation in the water, which affects agriculture in the province.
Faruqi cited reports that indicate a 40% decrease in the rain from July to December, exacerbating the crisis further. He urged the Government to convene a meeting of the Common Interests Council (CCI) to address the distribution of water resources between the provinces.
At first, the speaker announced the presidents panel, including Bilal Azhar Kayani, Abdul Qadir Patel, Romina Khurshid Alam, Syed Waseem Hussain, Shahida Akhtar Ali and Sher Ali Arbab.
During the session, the Government presented the Income Tax Ordinance (amendment) 2024. Later, the session was postponed until 2 pm on Tuesday.
