Chairs normally filled by Conservative MPs sit vacant at Tuesday's meeting of the Commons special committee on Afghanistan, which was unable to go ahead due to lack of a quorum. (CBC)

An emergency meeting of the special Commons committee on Afghanistan could not go ahead Tuesday when all seven Conservative members failed to show up.

The committee, which is looking into what Canada knew about alleged abuse of prisoners in Afghan jails, requires a quorum of seven members. The no-show by Conservative MPs left it with just six.

The Liberal, NDP and Bloc Québécois members invited the media into the room to show them the empty chairs and talked informally among themselves.

However, no clerk was present and nothing was accomplished in terms of deciding what witnesses to hear from next or in scheduling future meetings.

The Tory boycott left opposition MPs frustrated and fuelled speculation that Prime Minister Stephen Harper is planning to prorogue Parliament — a move that would block further committee meetings until as late as March.

NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar was visibly angry, saying government MPs are paid to show up.

'Playing politics'

Liberal defence critic Ujjal Dosanjh called it "a sad day." Dosanjh said there is no more important debate for parliamentarians than the conduct of a war and accused the government of evading its responsibility.

"This is a meeting of the special committee on Afghanistan, looking at the issue where we have sent our men and women into harm's way," he said. "They're dying for us and this government is playing politics with an issue as serious and abhorrent as torture."

Dosanjh said the government "deeply underestimates" the desire of Canadians to know what is being done in their name overseas.

Conservative MP Laurie Hawn, parliamentary secretary to the minister of defence, said holding an emergency meeting for planning purposes was unnecessary.

"Having an emergency meeting for planning is a waste of time and a waste of money," he said, adding that the Conservatives had suggested the work could be handled through a teleconference, allowing MPs to remain in their ridings.

"We are simply not going to play their partisan games," Hawn said from Edmonton. "This is an issue that was not an emergency to handle before Christmas."

"This is a planning meeting, not a meeting to hear witnesses," he said.

Asked about opposition statements that they were unaware of the offer of a teleconference, Hawn said the option was discussed with the vice-chair of the committee.

"If they didn't know about that, they need to talk amongst themselves," he said.

With files from The Canadian Press