NA defers 27th amend vote amid opp protest

Lower house passes Privatization Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2025

ISLAMABAD:

The National Assembly session on Monday was adjourned for Tuesday without the bill for the 27th Constitutional Amendment being tabled after it sailed through the Senate.

PPP MNA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was disrupted by a ruckus and shouting from the opposition benches as he began to speak in the assembly.

Speaking on the immunity for the president, he said this was standard practice in many countries for the head of state.

Ashraf assailed the opposition, asking who was it to criticise the treasury benches when its ranks were filled with those who had violated the Constitution.

As he continued to speak, PTI lawmakers chanted slogans of “Go Zardari go” and “Long live Imran Khan” while terming the former prime minister as “Raja rental”.

The former premier said the opposition was only content when it was raising a hue and cry in the house, adding that treasury benches would react in a similar manner to any speaker from the other side.

Taking the floor after the PPP leader, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl MNA Aliya Kamran questioned the need for haste in the matter and said all stakeholders were not consulted and taken on board.

Meanwhile, the assembly passed the Privatisation Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2025, clause by clause.

The bill was tabled in the House by Aasia Ishaque Siddiqui.

The National Assembly referred two bills to the concerned committees for further discussion and deliberation.

The bills included the Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Iqbal Academy (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which were tabled by the Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.

The House also witnessed the presentation of three committee reports. These included reports from the Standing Committee on Human Rights and the Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control.

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq referred a question concerning the disappearance of pilgrims traveling for Umrah and Ziyarat to the relevant standing committee for further examination.

During Monday’s question hour, Parliamentary Secretary Shamsher Ali Mazari responded to a query raised by MNA Naeema Kishwar Khan, stating that his ministry does not maintain data on individuals undertaking religious pilgrimages.

He clarified that such information, particularly regarding missing Umrah pilgrims, falls under the jurisdiction of immigration authorities.

To address the issue comprehensively, Speaker Sadiq proposed a joint meeting, a suggestion supported by Mazari. The matter was subsequently forwarded to the concerned standing committee for detailed review and follow-up.