Opposition Protests in Parliament Demanding Access to PTI Founder
Opposition lawmakers staged a noisy protest on the floor of the National Assembly on Monday, demanding proper medical care and visitation rights for the incarcerated founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan. The parliamentarians, led by Leader of the Opposition Mehmood Khan Achakzai, disrupted the session with chants and slogans before ultimately boycotting the proceedings.
Addressing the House, Achakzai stated that a deadline given to the government to improve the former prime minister’s medical care had expired. He announced that the opposition would not participate in the proceedings and would also boycott the upcoming budget session. As he spoke, his microphone was muted and his speech was not broadcast on official channels.
Following the speech, PTI lawmakers gathered around the Speaker’s dais, raised slogans, and held a symbolic “shadow proceeding” where they designated Achakzai as the Speaker. The protest continued through the Question Hour, after which the opposition members walked out of the House. A subsequent attempt by a few PTI members to point out a lack of quorum failed after a count confirmed the treasury benches had the required 86 members present. The session then continued, with the House approving amendments to two laws.
In response to the opposition’s stance, government representatives stated that they were open to holding talks on all issues. During the Question Hour, the assembly also addressed other matters. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary dismissed reports of mass deportations of Pakistanis from the UAE as “incorrect and false” and creations of social media. He clarified that only individuals convicted of crimes were being repatriated.
The minister informed the House that Pakistani missions in the Middle East had received 9,233 labour-related complaints. Separately, the government provided data showing that 164,788 Pakistanis had been deported from Gulf countries over the last five years, including 108,029 from Saudi Arabia and 40,497 from the UAE.
