Cockroaches in Parliament food, speaker takes ‘notice’

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has taken “strict notice” after cockroaches were found in the food served at the Parliament House cafeteria and ordered the immediate cancellation of the contractor’s agreement.

According to a spokesperson for the National Assembly, the contract with the current management of the Parliament cafeteria has officially been terminated.

The incident, which reportedly occurred ten days ago, gained attention after a video made by a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) showing cockroaches crawling out of food went viral on social media.

قومی اسمبلی کے سیشن کے دوران کھانے سے لال بیگ نکل آئے!! pic.twitter.com/N3XT4UH182

— Zubair Ali Khan (@ZubairAlikhanUN) August 5, 2025

The footage triggered outrage among lawmakers, who raised concerns over hygiene conditions in the cafeteria and surrounding lobbies.

Officials said the contract has now been awarded to a new vendor with a good reputation.

The cancelled agreement included food services not only for parliamentarians but also for the assembly staff.

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Cockroaches at NASA headquarters

It may be recalled that cockroaches were found at NASA headquarters in Washington in January 2025.

This occurred after the Donald Trump administration ordered hundreds of thousands of US federal government employees — who had been working from home since the COVID-19 pandemic — to return to their offices full-time.

According to staff members at NASA headquarters, upon returning to the building, they discovered cockroaches on the floors and bugs emerging from the faucets.

However, as per NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner, the cockroaches were promptly removed from the facility.

“Our team took immediate action to address those concerns, including consulting with our regularly scheduled exterminator,” she told Reuters.