NA discusses flood response; PTI sits outside assembly, chanting slogans for Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly session on Tuesday focused on flood rehabilitation, climate-related issues, and governance concerns, with several ministers and members addressing the House.

Federal Minister Moin Wattoo highlighted the government’s response to recent floods. He said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed all relevant departments to aid flood-affected areas and prepare for future emergencies. “The implementation of the plan to install a telemetry system has been started,” Wattoo said, adding that proposals are being prepared for new dams and lakes to store floodwater.

Also read: PDMA warns of major floods as India releases more water

Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi criticized internal political contradictions, noting, “We sit here and abuse the bureaucracy… We call our system a hybrid system.” He questioned why those criticising the system remained part of it, saying, “We should then move from the government benches to the opposition.” Abbasi also praised the Punjab government’s flood management and Shehbaz Sharif’s foreign policy, particularly highlighting the Prime Minister’s recent visit to China.

MNA Noor Alam Khan raised concerns over ineffective disaster response in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “PDMA Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could not save 12 people,” he said, asking what accountability measures would follow. He questioned the issuance of NOCs to unauthorised housing societies and criticised encroachments in Islamabad.

Noshin Iftikhar called for decisive action on encroachments along rivers. Shahida Akhtar spoke on the environmental mismanagement contributing to the crisis. She said that safe rainwater passageways were encroached, forests were cut instead of being preserved, and the timber mafia operated unchecked. “We are all collectively responsible for these situations,” she added.

PML-N MNA Saira Afzal Tarar spoke on the devastation in her constituency, Hafizabad, where “hundreds of villages were flooded and standing crops destroyed.” She warned of worsening conditions due to rapid glacier melting. “The NDMA’s briefing yesterday described a very alarming situation regarding climate change,” she said.

She also highlighted the need to restore traditional drainage systems. “In the past, drains were built inside villages to drain rainwater, now they have been removed and made part of roads. We’ve started working on this with the Punjab government — it should be replicated in other provinces.”

The session was adjourned until 11:00 AM on Friday, September 5.

PTI BOYCOTTS NA SESSION, HOLDS PARALLEL ASSEMBLY OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) boycotted Tuesday’s National Assembly session, staging a walkout and setting up a symbolic assembly outside Parliament. The protest was led by PTI leader Asad Qaiser, who announced the boycott during the session.

“We are with the flood victims and share their grief equally,” said Qaiser. “We walk out of this house due to the injustice and oppression being done to us.” He also announced PTI’s resignation from all standing committees.

Following the walkout, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq urged PTI members to remain and participate in the discussion on flood-related issues. Addressing PTI MNA Iqbal Afridi, the Speaker said, “Your own area is under water, please go and speak… at least you would have participated in the discussion on the flood situation.”

Also read: Are flood-hit housing society homes still safe to live in?

Outside the Parliament, PTI held its own session, presided over by Asad Qaiser. Party members raised slogans calling for the release of the PTI founder. Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said, “Our rights in Parliament were snatched away, that is why we have formed a public assembly.”