Joint session of parliament adjourned after 18 minutes. Four bills passed

The joint session of the National Assembly and Senate on Friday lasted a mere 18 minutes, with the treasury using the majority of the time to pass four bills before the Speaker adjourned the house until February 12.

The session, which began an hour late, was chaired by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. Notable figures including Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Sherry Rehman, and others attended. However, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari arrived after the session had ended.

Members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) were also present in the house. PTI parliamentarians carried placards and staged a protest throughout the session, voicing their discontent.

Opposition Protest and Speaker’s Refusal to Grant Speaking Rights

The opposition members sought permission to speak on a point of order, but Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq refused to grant the microphone to the opposition leader. This led to a protest, with opposition members raising slogans against the PECA amendment and demanding the release of PTI founder Imran Khan. In protest, the opposition lawmakers stood on their seats and threw copies of the agenda on the speaker’s desk.

Four Bills Approved Amid Protests

Despite the protests, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal presented the Trade Regulations Amendment Bill 2021 and the Import and Export Regulation Amendment Bill 2023, both of which were approved by the house. Additionally, Senator Manzoor Kakar presented the National Excellence Institute Bill 2024, which was also passed. The National Institute of Technology Bill 2024 was approved by a majority vote.

While a total of eight bills were scheduled for discussion in the joint session, only four bills were tabled and approved. The remaining bills, including the National Commission for Human Development Amendment Bill 2023, the NFC Institute of Engineering and Technology Multan Amendment Bill 2023, the National Skills University Islamabad Amendment Bill 2023, and the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology Islamabad Amendment Bill 2023, were postponed.