The National Assembly on Thursday suspended PTI member Iqbal Afridi for the entire budget session following allegations of misconduct against assembly staff, the DG Media, and police personnel. Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq ordered Afridi’s removal from the House, citing unacceptable behavior including raising his hand against staff and rude conduct towards officials.
The Speaker instructed the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort Afridi out if he did not leave voluntarily, warning that he would forfeit all allowances and travel expenses during the suspension period. Afridi subsequently exited the chamber.
The session began under Speaker Sadiq’s chairmanship, but Afridi repeatedly pointed out the lack of quorum. Initially, the sitting was adjourned due to insufficient members, but after a recount confirmed quorum, proceedings resumed. Afridi continued to raise quorum issues, which the Speaker dismissed, emphasizing that quorum calls cannot be made so frequently and must follow established rules.
During the session, Barrister Gohar sought to speak, but the Speaker warned that Afridi would not be excused if PTI members attempted to support him.
Separately, the National Assembly passed the Pakistan Telecommunication Re-Organisation (Amendment) Bill 2025, introduced by Shaza Fatima Khawaja. An amendment proposed by government member Huma Akhtar Chughtai was also approved despite her inability to explain it; the federal IT minister later clarified that it involved changing the retirement age for appellate tribunal judges.
PPP lawmaker Syed Naveed Qamar submitted three amendments addressing potential disputes over the right of way for laying 5G fiber cables. His proposals aimed to delegate dispute resolution powers to provincial and relevant authorities and to cap fines imposed in such cases.
In Islamabad, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar criticized the upcoming budget, calling it unfavorable for the public amid rising inflation and high utility bills. He accused the government of preparing the budget based on “fake figures” and urged that relief be provided to the people. Gohar also announced a PTI parliamentary party meeting at 2 pm to determine their strategy, stressing that ensuring quorum is the government’s responsibility. He noted that each day of the session costs approximately Rs60 million.
