November 13, 2008	Thursday	Ziqa'ad 14, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Nov 12: National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza on Wednesday surprised the house when she did not allow her deputy and a parliamentary secretary to put questions to ministers during the question-hour session, although she herself asked at least two supplementary questions from a minister.

During the question-hour session, Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi stood up and requested the Speaker to allow him to put a supplementary question to the Federal Minister for Water and Power, Raja Pervez Ashraf, on the issue of the construction of Kishan Ganga Dam by India on River Neelum.

MNA Nuzhat Sadiq, of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, through a written question, had asked the water and power minister to tell the house about the steps being taken by the government in the wake of the construction of Kishan Ganga water storage plant by India. Some of the members, including Nuzhat, asked various supplementary questions.

In reply to supplementary questions, the minister told the house that the government had given a contract for the Neelum-Jhelum Project to a Chinese consortium. The deputy speaker stood up and asked the speaker to allow him to ask a supplementary question.

To the surprise of lawmakers and journalists in the gallery, the speaker said: “You cannot ask any question.”

However, she allowed Mr Kundi to make an observation if he wanted, but said that he could not ask any question. The deputy speaker, while ignoring the speaker’s advice, asked the minister to tell when this project would be completed.