Pak President address parliament amid Opposition's protests

Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain today an angry Opposition during his annual address to a joint session of parliament with lawmakers chanting anti- government slogans like "Go Nawaz Go" and "traitor".
The Opposition's main contention is the government's refusal to broadcast the opposition's budget speeches live on state-run PTV.
From the beginning, the Opposition went all-out to disrupt the president, with some lawmakers whistling, others sloganeering, and still more thumping their desks as shouts of "Go Nawaz Go" and "traitor" rang out in Parliament.
Later, the Opposition staged a walk-out.
Addressing media outside parliament, Opposition leader Khursheed Shah said government was using undemocratic means to muzzle the voice of the Opposition.

"The president has not addressed the key issue of corruption in his speech," he said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his brief informal chat with media said that "Opposition was holding a tamasha (show)".
When asked if his government would complete its tenure of five years, he said, "Inshallah (God willing we will do)".
Meanwhile, Hussain in his speech urged that the political process be above individual and parochial interest for the sake of higher objectives of national progress and prosperity.
"For the progress and development of our nation, the political process should be freed from personal interests," he said.

He said that it was important that all segments of the society participate in the task of national reconstruction. He said trade and investment friendly policies and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and power projects are manifestation of a commitment for welfare of the people.
The president proposed that the government, the Opposition and all the political parties declare Vision-2025 as a national plan through consensus so that process of welfare of public is not hampered at any cost.
He said as a result of the prudent economic policies of the government, economic indicators are healthy and this is also acknowledged by the State Bank and international economic institutions.

The president said Pakistan's defence production sector has performed noticeably better and it can capture the attention of the prospective buyers in the market.
With the speech of the president, the fifth and final parliamentary year of the current parliament has started.
The joint session was later prorogued after the speech of the president.