Ayaz Sadiq says there is 'realisation' in govt about NA's lack of quorum, hopeful situation will improve

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Tuesday said there was “realisation” among the treasury members about the lack of quorum in the House and he was hopeful that the situation would improve.

Lately, NA proceedings have been marred by a lack of attendance amid a rift between the ruling PML-N and its main ally in the Centre, the PPP, mainly over the recent elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

On Monday, PPP’s Sharmila Farooqui summed her party’s position in a post on X, saying: “No PPP, no quorum, simple.” She later told Dawn that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had already made it clear that the party would “no more cooperate with PML-N on quorum and legislation” until its concerns over the AJK polls were addressed.

When the matter was raised during Sadiq’s interaction with the media in Islamabad on Tuesday, he said: “Some ministers told me that the matter was taken up with the prime minister sahib yesterday […] The prime minister has taken notice, and the ministers will also ensure quorum”.

He expressed hope that more lawmakers would now attend the proceedings.

“I believe it will get better; there was improvement today, and I hope it will [further] improve in the next session because I have received a message from the government that there is a realisation on the issue.”

Sadiq also said it was the government and the opposition’s responsibility to maintain quorum.

The speaker urged lawmakers from opposition and treasury benches to utilise the forum of Parliament to highlight the issues of their constituencies rather than “abandoning” it, as doing so would be a collective loss.

When a reporter asked if he was “worried that a no-confidence motion may be moved against him given that a similar claim was being made in the media regarding PM Shehbaz,” Sadiq said: “It is their (opposition’s) constitutional right, and we will facilitate it should they want to move such a motion. We will see when the time comes”.

Asked about his invitation to the opposition for talks, the speaker said PM Shehbaz had extended such invitations several times, and he, along with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Adviser to PM on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, had also made efforts to engage with the opposition.

“I am tired of saying this. If they want to come, they will come. We can request the government as well, but how many times can we say the same thing?” he remarked.