ISLAMABAD: In the lower house of parliament, a spectacle of chaos unfolded on Thursday as the majority of lawmakers belonging to the ruling government and its coalition partners turned parliamentary proceedings into a farcical playground of absenteeism.
In an embarrassing and utterly chaotic scene in the National Assembly, NA Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah was left helpless, begging for order as he watched in disbelief.
Their repeated pleas echoed through the chamber, but the only response was the deafening silence of empty chairs from the treasury benches.
A pitiful turnout saw just a handful of treasury MPs showing up, with barely two or three state ministers even bothering to grace the House with their presence, as majority of treasury members failed to put in an appearance which led to a lack of quorum in the House.
The sight of the absent lawmakers – all of whom enjoy comfortable positions and generous perks – has sparked outrage, with critics branding the session as a shameless display of disregard for duty.
It is clear that the once-proud institution has become little more than a place for politicians to collect their paychecks and leave the serious work to others.
As the session started at 11am with the deputy speaker in the chair, the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took control of the floor, while ministers from the ruling party did not bother to turn up – for reasons best known to them.
PTI members, ever eager to point out the lack of quorum, successfully forced an adjournment of the session.
In a sad twist, the deputy speaker’s efforts to call the missing ministers back into the House ended in futility, laying bare the disarray and dysfunction within the Assembly.
The government, which has paraded its austerity measures as the cure to the country’s ills, allowed this disgraceful session to take place – one that benefited no one except the absent treasury MPs.
These lawmakers, hands safely untouched by the business of the day, will still pocket their paychecks, funded by the hard-earned taxes of ordinary Pakistani citizens.
Once a symbol of authority, the NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq now appears as a mere figurehead, his warnings impotent against a tide of indifference.
His calls for discipline, long a cornerstone of his leadership, have been reduced to little more than empty threats, as his own party and coalition members routinely ignore the rules.
It is a crisis of credibility for Sadiq, who once commanded respect but now struggles to ensure even basic punctuality.
Sadiq’s efforts to crack down on government officials for tardiness or absence stand in stark contrast to his inability to rein in his own colleagues.
Behind closed doors, it is painfully obvious: the NA Speaker’s authority is nothing but a paper tiger, powerless to enforce even the most basic rule of attendance in the House.
And so, the question remains — what’s the solution to this circus? Some are whispering that it’s time for military intervention.
The military, after all, is the only institution in Pakistan with a proven track record of making sure lawmakers show up to their duties – even if it takes rolling them in on stretchers or in wheelchairs.
In a country where no one seems willing to show up, perhaps it’s the military that will finally force these absentee legislators back into their seats.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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