Quorum row, walkout and PTI’s Afridi suspension mark heated NA sitting

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly session on Thursday turned into a political uproar, with oppotion members pointing out a lack of quorum, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers staging a walkout, and the suspension of PTI lawmaker Muhammad Iqbal Khan Afridi.

The turbulent session began when Afridi pointed out a lack of quorum, forcing National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to briefly suspend proceedings after the House failed to meet the required minimum attendance. Although the quorum was later completed and the session resumed, the friction persisted throughout the sitting.

Afridi repeatedly tried to draw attention to the empty benches, causing visible irritation among treasury benches. Speaker Ayaz Sadiq issued a stern warning, noting that recurrent quorum calls during a crucial budget session would result in a deduction of the respective party’s allotted debate time, arguing that such tactical delays were actively disrupting essential parliamentary business.

Treasury members accused the opposition of deliberately obstructing legislative proceedings, while opposition lawmakers countered that maintaining the required attendance was fundamentally a constitutional responsibility of the ruling government.

Walkout and Suspensions

The political temperature rose further when PTI lawmakers staged a collective walkout to protest ongoing restrictions on meetings with the party’s incarcerated founder, Imran Khan, at Adiala jail. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan argued that elected representatives must be granted access to consult their party leader on vital parliamentary and budgetary matters.

However, the defining moment of the day came with the suspension of Iqbal Afridi.

According to an official motion placed before the House, Afridi was accused of using abusive language against National Assembly Secretariat officials, threatening parliamentary staff, misbehaving with lower-grade security personnel, and repeatedly disrupting house proceedings. The motion further alleged that the lawmaker had undermined the authority of the Chair and repeatedly violated the decorum of the House.

Invoking Rule 21 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, the speaker named the member and put the matter to a floor vote. The motion was subsequently adopted by a majority vote, resulting in the suspension of Afridi’s membership for the remainder of the ongoing budget session.

“The use of abusive language and aggressive behavior against the lower-grade staff of this august House is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Speaker Ayaz Sadiq stated in his ruling.

While the treasury members welcomed the disciplinary action, the opposition condemned it as an excessively punitive measure.

Legislative Business

Despite the disruptions, the House managed to clear some legislative business, passing the PIA Corporation Repeal Bill 2026 and the Pakistan Telecommunication Re-organisation Amendment Bill 2025. Lawmakers also engaged in a floor debate concerning acute water shortages in Sindh and Balochistan, and discussed the issue of refugee voting seats in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Nevertheless, the suspension of Iqbal Afridi remained the dominant talking point across the corridors of Parliament House, setting a highly confrontational tone for the remainder of the legislative term.