Pakistan People’s Party leaders on Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over the conduct of National Assembly proceedings, accusing the acting speaker of repeatedly adjourning the session despite a quorum being present.
PPP MNA Aseefa Bhutto Zardari said the repeated adjournments made a mockery of the parliamentary system. “It is said that the speaker was instructed to adjourn the session so that my attention message could not be presented,” she said, calling the move “petty and low political manoeuvre”. She issued a statement expressing deep disappointment at the behavior of the acting president.
During question hour, MNA Nabeel Gabol raised concern over Benazir’s income support programme, saying there was no BISP center in his constituency. “Women are passing out there due to overcrowding,” he said, alleging that officials took Rs1,500 from each woman as bribe.
Federal Minister Pir Imran Shah replied that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed that the program be made transparent, adding that efforts were on to digitize the entire system by March 2026. “There will be no corruption under our government,” he said.
Opposition member Agha Rafiullah complained that ministers were not present to answer questions. “We are playing the role of the opposition, so encourage us,” he said, noting that federal minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry was present but “engaged in his own conversations”.
Agha Rafiullah criticized the quality of responses to questions, saying members worked hard to prepare queries but received only “vague answers” while demanding travel allowances. He challenged the minister to call the Federal Education Board’s toll-free number and suggested that no one would answer.
Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that detailed answers had been given and suggested Rafiullah himself to call the toll-free number in the lobby. Panel chairman Ali Zahid directed both to resolve their differences in the lobby.
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PTI members disrupted the proceedings by raising banners with pictures of the party’s founder and shouting slogans in the house.
Opposition member Iqbal Afridi twice pointed to the lack of quorum, leading to counts confirming that sufficient members were present. But when Afridi requested a point of order during Question Time, the panel chairman declined, saying that it was not allowed to ask for a point of order under that section.
The number of members in the house was counted against the quorum and the government could not fulfill it. “There were 63 members present in the house,” the panel was told by chairman Ali Zahid.
During the announcement by the panel chairman, PPP members created ruckus. The session of the National Assembly was suspended indefinitely.
Addressing the media, PPP’s Abdul Qadir Patel suggested collaboration between the government and the PTI and claimed that just as someone signaled, the PTI again demanded a quorum count. “The attitude of the government today was deplorable. The quorum was present but we are disappointed with the behavior of the speaker,” he said, adding that PPP’s presence alone ensured quorum.
PPP MNA Shazia Marri demanded that the government honor its commitment regarding Shaheed Benazir Bhutto International Airport’s name. “Has the location of the airport changed or has its name also changed? If the NADRA office building changes, will its name change? If the Parliament building location changes, will its name also change?” she asked.
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Marri said that Benazir Bhutto did not need any praise. “These are small-minded people who will always remain small. What kind of vulgar conspiracy is this that hides the name of an airport?”
She warned that if the government did not respond, the PPP would decide its future course of action in a meeting. “If you think that the PPP has come to the assembly just to watch a show, it is not the case,” she said.
Marri appealed to the prime minister to remember his promise to the first lady, noting that some people name things after themselves during their lifetime, while Benazir Bhutto, “a great leader”, never did.
She criticized the PTI for appearing on “pro-Modi channels” and speaking out against Pakistan, adding that despite the courts giving “the worst sentences” to her party, including denying Zulfikar Ali Bhutto a fair trial, “we never burnt any building”.
