The Democrats have alleged that today's parliament sitting had to be halted due to lack of quorum as a result of deliberate obstruction from government aligned MPs.
Although the regulations state that three sittings must be held every week, it was decided through deliberations with parliamentary group (PG) leaders that sittings will only be held for pressing matters during campaign periods. However, today's sitting could not be proceeded as the minimum required quorum was not reached.
In a press conference held today, The Democrats PG Leader Ali Azim alleged that the government, at present, has no intention of cooperating with any parliament work proceeding.
"One reason is because [we are] holding the government accountable. I am saying this because today, the government MPs deliberately...I mean, if they had come in, we would have reached the required quorum. They stepped outside when they realized the quorum would be reached if they stayed in," Azim alleged.
Azim stated that the government is doing all in its power to prevent the parliament from continuing with its work.
The Democrats further claim that the agreement purportedly reached between PG leaders to not have regular sittings during the campaign period is one that was reached without their knowledge or participation. They said that they had received a letter informing them that parliament had been temporarily halted as political parties are engaged in campaigning, with Azim protesting that this wasn't a justifiable reason to interrupt parliament functions.
Azim expressed concerns that matters in the country are 'moving in a bad direction' and said that the governing of the country is going from bad to worse. He went on to say that any efforts to inhibit work to hold the government accountable cannot be accepted.
Parliament's minimum quorum is 22. Only 11 members were in attendance for today's sitting when quorum was considered.
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