ISLAMABAD: A fiery tirade lit up the National Assembly on Friday as Junaid Akbar Khan of opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) torched both the government and judiciary – calling for judges’ salaries to be cut off and massive court complexes to be turned into universities.
Khan, who also serves as PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president and chairs the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), didn’t mince words during the ongoing budget debate. His tirade accused the judiciary of irrelevance and the government of democratic deceit.
“I thank the government and the establishment for proving this country can function without a judiciary,” Khan said, referring to the controversial 26th constitutional amendment, which he claimed stripped the courts of their ability to deliver justice.
Then, in remarks that stunned even seasoned lawmakers, he thundered: “I’m astonished at the mothers of these judges that they gave birth to such children who lack the courage to stand up for justice.”
Khan went further, saying the salaries of the judges should be halted immediately and the country’s grand court buildings repurposed into educational institutions.
But his fire wasn’t reserved for the judiciary alone. Calling the incumbent government a “forcibly installed” regime, the PTI stalwart declared: “Now both the rulers and the ruled know that it’s not the voter who matters – it’s the vote counter.”
He alleged that real power in Pakistan lies not in the hands of the electorate but with those who manipulate results behind closed doors. “They believe power comes from pleasing those who count votes – not those who cast them,” he charged.
Khan also ridiculed official claims of economic progress, questioning why poverty continues to spiral if the nation is indeed on a development path.
“If we’re moving forward, why are more people falling below the poverty line,” he asked, drawing murmurs of agreement – and disapproval – across party lines.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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