National Assembly | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Opposition lawmakers on Monday staged a protest on the National Assembly floor, demanding proper medical care for incarcerated PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan. During today’s session, PTI members did not point out a lack of quorum as the session commenced, which was chaired by Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah. As soon as the session progressed, the leader of the opposition in the lower house, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, stood at his seat and said that the deadline had expired and the government was not providing the required medical care to the former prime minister. “We had given the government time until Monday to mend its ways in this regard and had announced that we would not be part of the proceedings,” he said, adding that the opposition would also boycott the budget session. However, as he spoke, his voice was cut off and his speech was not broadcast on any official channel. PTI lawmakers also gathered around the Speaker’s seat and raised slogans in favour of their leaders. The...

• MNAs complain poor connectivity affecting parliament’s paperless mechanism • Minister assures them spectrum auction will address problem • Concerns raised over digital harassment, online fraud ISLAMABAD: Several members of the National Assembly on Thursday raised the issue of slow internet speed in the House as well as across the country, in the context of recent efforts to switch to a paperless working environment in parliament to enhance efficiency and reduce costs. Despite repeated requests by the NA chair, the majority of MNAs from all sides paid no attention to the implementation of the paperless system in parliament. Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah reminded members that parliamentary proceedings were being automated as part of efforts to modernise the functioning of the House and the physical distribution of bills and other documents would soon be eradicated. “All the members have been provided with tablets to facilitate paperless proceedings and improve efficiency. We want to minimise paper usage,...

ISLAMABAD: A 90-point agenda could not be taken up in the National Assembly (NA) on Friday amid a protest by the opposition over an unprecedented increase of 43 per cent and 55pc in the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD), respectively. The increase, which has led to the petrol price being set at Rs458.4 per litre and HSD price at Rs520.35 per litre, was announced late on Thursday night against the backdrop of a global fuel crunch resulting from the ongoing war in the Middle East. As the opposition protested the decision in the NA, Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah, who was presiding over the proceedings, had to adjourn the sitting without the House transacting any business. The NA was supposed to take up a 90-point agenda, including a question hour, a calling attention notice on the change in net metering policy for solar prosumers and several bills. But none of these matters was addressed, with the opposition beginning a noisy protest even before the question hour — the first item on the agenda. D...

Acting on the directives of Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the Secretariat of the National Assembly of Pakistan has introduced a series of strict austerity measures in line with the government’s cost-reduction campaign led by Shehbaz Sharif.

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday told the National Assembly that Pakistan is facing a proxy conflict allegedly orchestrated by India, claiming that Afghan territory is being used to facilitate terrorist activities inside the country.

A statement posted by the National Assembly’s official account on the social media platform X said that reports regarding the shutdown of its YouTube channel were “incorrect”. The statement came after the media reports emerged alleging that the YouTube channel had “disappeared”. The reports also said that NA proceedings, which are typically shown live, had not been broadcast on the official YouTube channel or on state television over the past few days. The reports had emerged as a joint sitting of Parliament was held in Islamabad on Friday. In the statement posted on X, the NA’s official account said, “It is hereby clarified that reports published and broadcast in newspapers and television channels regarding the shutdown of the NA YouTube channel are incorrect. “Furthermore, the YouTube channel was not shut down at any point,” the statement said. “Temporary technical issues occurred due to a social media server outage, which affected accessibility for a limited period have been resolved after Friday, followin...

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Saturday said that statements against Pakistan, the judiciary or the armed forces would not be allowed on the floor of the National Assembly. According to a handout issued by the NA Secretariat, the speaker made the remarks while visiting the National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore. “Negative or controversial remarks on the role of the judiciary, the armed forces of Pakistan and judges are unacceptable,” he said. He further stated that any kind of remarks against the armed forces was “intolerable”. He further stated that only those remarks that fell within the ambit of the law and the Constitution would be allowed. “Those who speak against Pakistan will not be allowed to express their views on the floor of the National Assembly,” he was quoted as saying. Sadiq further asserted that as the NA speaker, he would continue to play an impartial role. He further said that in a democratic society, protesting was a citizen’s right. However, this protest should be peaceful and remain within the a...

ISLAMABAD - National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Friday formally notified PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly.

After a months-long delay, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai was appointed leader of the opposition in the National Assembly on Friday. Incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan had named Achakzai for the opposition leader’s slot in the NA in August last year. The notification, seen by Dawn, read: “Honourable Speaker has been pleased to declare Mr Mehmood Khan Achakzai, member of the National Assembly, as leader of the opposition in the NA, with effect from January 16, 2026.” “The notification has been issued under Rule 39 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007,” said a statement issued by the National Assembly Secretariat. Notification by the NA Secretariat declaring Achakzai as the opposition leader in NA. — Photo via author Prior to the notification being issued, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq summoned PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Chief Whip Amir Dogar to his chambers, stating that he had a “notification to give” them. “Come to my ch...

ISLAMABAD: Presi­dent Asif Ali Zardari has summoned the National Assembly session on Monday (today), setting the stage to initiate the process of appointing the leader of the opposition. The opposition leader issue is expected to resurface after PTI’s Omar Ayub withdrew his petitions in the Supreme Court and high courts against his removal. Before the petition was withdrawn, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said he couldn’t begin the appointment process as the issue was sub judice. With the summoning of the assembly, Speaker Sadiq is expected to ask the opposition to follow the process for appointing a new leader. The opposition has repe­atedly accused the government of delaying the appo­intment process and nominated Pasht­unkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Achakzai as the opposition leader. Rule 39 of the “Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly 2007” confirms it is the sole prerogative of the speaker to ask the opposition at any time to submit a name, after which the opposition may...

The National Assembly on Wednesday passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill during a ruckus-marred session attended by political heavyweights, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. The bill was passed by a two-way voting process — voting by division and clause-by-clause voting. Presented in the house for voting by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, the bill will now be referred back to the Senate for the new amendments to be debated upon again and then will be passed by the upper house. During the session, Tarar presented a list of amendments to the bill, while also omitting some of the bill’s clauses. From the law minister’s speech in the National Assembly, the amendments were promulgated mainly to incorporate the newly setup Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) in the scheme of the Constitution and to provide clarity regarding the incumbent and future chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) since the new constitutional court means it will have...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday released the latest party standings in the National Assembly, placing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the lead with 122 seats.

The political rift between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) widened on Monday as PPP lawmakers staged a walkout from the National Assembly, following an earlier protest in the Senate.

Members of the PPP and media representatives briefly boycotted the National Assembly session on Friday over separate matters. The PPP, which is a coalition partner of the ruling PML-N in the Centre, has been incensed after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s remarks amid an ongoing rift between the two parties over flood relief. Meanwhile, journalists have been protesting a raid by Islamabad police at the National Press Club (NPC) yesterday, during which media persons were assaulted. A while after the NA session began today, PPP’s Naveed Qamar said, “I want to say this on record that in the last session, we had raised some issues. We had also protested and walked out. After that, the government sent a team that engaged in dialogue with us.” He, however, maintained that nothing changed despite the talks. “There has been no difference on the ground […] We cannot be a part of this House until this matter is resolved.” “So, we are walking out today,” he announced. Later, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar began his speech by e...

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) staged a walkout from the National Assembly on Friday in protest against remarks made by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned the 20th session of the National Assembly to be held on Monday at 5:00 pm in Parliament House.

The federal government and the PTI were at loggerheads in the National Assembly on Friday as the latter claimed “not enough” was being done to provide relief to those affected by the recent floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and boycotted the session over the disqualification of its lawmakers. Record rains in KP, which started on August 15, have wreaked havoc across the province. The provincial government declared an emergency as torrential rains ravaged homes, displaced families, and left a trail of destruction across Buner, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, and beyond. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan expressed his dissatisfaction with the help provided by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to the flood-affected population of KP, particularly Buner — the worst-hit area in the province — stating that the authority “did not help as much as it should have”. “I say at this forum that we will continue to be at odds with the NDMA,” Gohar said on the floor. “I said the day-before-yesterday that the NDMA only ...

A National Assembly session chaired by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was marked by a boycott from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members after their de-notifications.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members staged a walkout from the National Assembly on Monday, chanting slogans for the release of party founder Imran Khan.

Following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, the National Assembly on Wednesday formally restored the reserved seats, issuing a notification shortly after the Election Commission of Pakistan implemented the apex court’s decision.