Opposition's NA walkouts a tactic to seek NRO: PM Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday termed frequent opposition walkouts in the National Assembly as “mere tactics to seek a National Reconciliation Ordinance,” reported ARY News.

In a tweet, earlier this morning, PM Khan stated, “In a Parliament that costs taxpayers billions yearly, yet another walkout in NA by the Opposition shows that this is the only function they intend to perform. These are pressure tactics to seek an NRO & evade accountability for corruption in NAB cases not initiated by PTI.”

Opposition members mainly belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) staged a walkout from the National Assembly on Jan 14 after opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif finished his speech pertaining to Mohmand Dam bidding contract.

Subsequently, opposition members walked out when Water Minister Faisal Vawda began to respond to Shehbaz’s remarks. Vawda expressed resentment over the opposition benches for leaving the House without listening to the incumbent government’s version of events.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led government has been accusing the opposition for making several attempts to seek a NRO and a way out to evade accountability over corruption. However, the opposition parties, particularly the Pakistan People’s Party and the PML-N have rejected the government’s claim.

A few days ago, PML-N leader Hamza Shehbaz said the government was portraying a wrong impression regarding opposition members seeking a NRO. “Let me clarify that we have no desire for NRO.”

Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed also claimed that deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif sought a NRO for Maryam Nawaz but former president Asif Ali Zardari was not interested in the same deal for PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also recently said the government was receiving indirect offers from the opposition to accept the NRO deal.