ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly session came to a grinding halt on Friday when the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) raised the issue of a lack of quorum, triggering an abrupt adjournment and leaving a full slate of scheduled business untouched.
The session began with opposition members, particularly from the PTI, seeking the floor to raise points of order. However, the NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq swiftly made it clear that the House would first proceed with the scheduled agenda and would only entertain points of order after the official business was addressed.
This announcement sparked visible discontent among PTI lawmakers, who appeared dissatisfied with the NA Speaker’s decision. Shortly thereafter, PTI MNA Mahboob Jan pointed out the absence of quorum, prompting the NA Speaker to order a headcount.
As the headcount proceeded, PTI lawmakers staged a walkout, further shrinking the already sparse attendance, while their lawmakers belonging to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) defiantly remained seated.
The headcount revealed just 53 members present in the 336-member House, well below the required quorum of 86, bringing legislative proceedings to a halt. In light of the quorum shortage, Speaker Sadiq suspended the session, instructing that it would reconvene only once the minimum attendance requirement was met.
After nearly an hour’s delay, the session resumed, but with attendance still falling short of the required quorum, Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah had no choice but to adjourn proceedings till Monday at 5p.m.
As a result of the incomplete quorum, none of the important legislative business scheduled for the day was addressed. Among the unaddressed matters were two calling-attention notices – one concerning the performance of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), and the other regarding the deteriorating security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Additionally, four bills were listed for consideration, including the Federal Prosecution Service (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the National Commission for Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2025, both of which were slated for passage.
Two other bills – the Inter-Boards Coordination Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the General Statistics (Reorganization) (Amendment) Bill, 2025 – were to be introduced, but none could be taken up due to the quorum disruptions.
Talking to reporters after pointing out the quorum in the House, PTI leader Asad Qaiser condemned the state of democracy, saying the country was at a critical juncture and that recent political developments were paving the way for further conflict.
He warned the country was “in danger,” with current decisions paving the way for a new war, particularly affecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has been suffering from the menace of terrorism for the last over four decades.
He criticized the government’s dismissal of PTI’s peace efforts, including a jirga of all political parties that passed a unanimous resolution for peace. “We are being treated like sheep, with no regard for our voices,” he said.
He also claimed democracy in Pakistan was effectively dead, accusing the government of manipulating electoral processes. “The alteration of Form-45 in Haripur was a defeat for democracy, not just PTI,” he said, adding that it showed the people no longer had the power to choose their representatives.
Qaiser concluded by warning that unelected parliamentarians would serve elite interests, not the people, and urged the public to defend their fundamental rights, saying, “The Constitution and democracy have been buried.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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