ISLAMABAD – The opposition, taking advantage of lack of quorum to run the House, Wednesday suspended the National Assembly session after blaming the government for unnecessarily introducing ordinances.
The government, with the break of around one-month, called this session which was adjourned only after ten minutes proceedings. PPP-P’s Syed Naveed Qamar, with the onset of proceedings, tried to take the floor to raise his point of order but the chair preferred taking agenda [order of the day] by initiating the question-hour session.
Observing the situation, Naveed Qamar announced a boycott of the proceedings. “Country is facing a worsening gas shortage. The government has put eight ordinances in the agenda,” said Naveed and blamed the government for putting the eight ordinances in the agenda to get them passed in one go.
Qamar said that the government ministers had not given replies to most of the questions asked in the question-hour session. “Parliament is being used only to pass ordinances,” he said and announced to walk out the proceedings on the behalf of the opposition. He also pointed out the lack of quorum in the house when all the opposition members left the house in protest. The chair adjourned the proceedings of the house as required numbers of MNAs were not present in the house.
FEMALES DOMINATE AS PER REGISTERED POPULATION
The national assembly was informed that the registered females are comparatively in majority than men as per the record of NADRA.
Will the Minister for Interior be pleased to state whether it is a fact
that majority of women have not been issued Computerized National Identity Cards in the country?
Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmed informed that NADRA has registered a total of 84.28 million females which include 59.29 million adults and 24.99 million minors which is 46.12 percent of total registered population. Moreover, male and female population of the country is 48.5 percent and 51.5 percent respectively, said the minister, in a written reply.
“NADRA is making every possible effort to cover the remaining population, especially women; however, same cannot be achieved without cooperation of the citizens,” he said, adding that as per law citizens are required to visit NADRA registration facility and provide his/her particulars / bio-data for registration.
He said NADRA has taken various steps for issuance of CNICs to all eligible women in Pakistan like issuance of CNIC for fresh applicants free of cost, deployment of 10 Female Mobile Registration Vans (MRVs), establishment of 19 Female Registration Centers and observance of Friday as ‘Female Day’ in all NADRA Registration Centres.