• NA approves supplementary grants amid opposition protest; finance minister praises bipartisan participation
• Opposition disrupts proceedings by chanting slogans against govt, in support of Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly witnessed a rumpus once again on Friday, as the lower house wrapped up budget formalities, while the speaker asserted his right to expunge remarks he deemed to be against the “national interest”.
On Friday, the House approved all supplementary grants pertaining to different ministries and divisions for the years 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Excess demands for grants for the financial year 2023-24, which were moved by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, were also approved.
During the approval process, opposition lawmakers continuously chanted full-throated slogans against the government and the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, as well as in support of their jailed leader, Imran Khan.
They gathered in front of the speaker’s dais, raising slogans and tearing up copies of the agenda. However, the government benches responded to opposition slogans with equal force.
Unmoved by the uproar, the finance minister continued to present demands for supplementary grants, which were passed before the House was abruptly prorogued.
The opposition members also staged a brief walkout from the House but soon returned to continue their protest.
Speaking in the House, Mr Aurangzeb praised members from both sides of the aisle for their active participation and valuable input in the federal budget process for the fiscal year 2025-26.
He noted that contributions, and constructive feedback from both the treasury and opposition benches played a vital role in the successful completion of the budget process. He appreciated them for openly expressing their views during the debate, describing it as a hallmark of democratic culture.
Speaker asserts his right
The episode began right at the outset of proceedings, when Leader of the Opposition in House Omar Ayub Khan got into an argument with Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
The opposition leader drew the speaker’s attention towards Rule 284 and asked him as to who had expunged his speech from a day earlier.
When the speaker claimed that he had expunged the speech, Mr. Ayub confronted him, saying, “When did you do it? I saw your cars leaving myself?” Mr Ayub said that what was happening had never occurred in the past. “No Speaker has ever done this before,” he added, referring to the policy of censorship and blackout.
“I have to look at the national interest. I will do what is in the national interest and will keep on doing it”, the speaker said. The opposition leader replied it was about amendments and there was nothing against national interest. He also raised the issue of what he called unreasonable remarks against former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse made by the law minister. “Otherwise, it would lead to a situation where we will be at each other’s throats, and you will be responsible for it,” he warned the NA speaker.
