Govt fails to maintain quorum as PPP stays away from National Assembly

Pakistan's ruling PML-N party experienced an embarrassing setback in the National Assembly on Monday when the session was adjourned within minutes due to a lack of quorum. The party's estranged ally, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), boycotted the proceedings, citing grievances over alleged rigging in the recent Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections.

The government failed to secure the required 84 lawmakers in the 336-member house. The quorum was pointed out by an opposition member from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), leading the chair to adjourn the session without any agenda items being discussed. PPP's Sharmila Farooqui posted on social media, "No PPP, no quorum, simple," shortly after the adjournment.

Farooqui later told reporters that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had declared the party would cease cooperating with the PML-N on quorum and legislation until their concerns about the alleged rigging and mismanagement in the AJK polls were addressed. She noted that even PPP members present at the start of the Question Hour left the chamber upon seeing only 20 to 25 PML-N members on the treasury benches, highlighting that the PPP had previously been instrumental in ensuring quorum.

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No PPP, no quorum, simple.

Farooqui emphasized that this strategy would persist until their concerns regarding the AJK elections were resolved, though she did not specify the exact demands the PML-N needed to meet. Earlier, when Speaker Ayaz Sadiq announced the opening of the Question Hour, PTI's Iqbal Afridi raised the issue of the lack of quorum after being denied the floor on a point of order. A headcount was ordered, and proceedings were suspended.

Approximately 35 minutes later, with the house still lacking a quorum, Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah, who had taken the chair, adjourned the sitting until Tuesday. This incident follows the PPP's support for the government on two security-related bills last week, despite Mr. Bhutto-Zardari's earlier objections to the government's legislative methods in the presence of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The Speaker also expressed concern over the murder of Hina Javed in Rawalpindi and referred the matter to a house committee.

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no more cooperate with PML-N on quorum and legislation