The opposition staged a walkout from the National Assembly , accusing the government of failing to provide adequate relief to flood-hit areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and of disqualifying its lawmakers to stifle dissent.
The session, chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, began with Fateha for 15 people killed in a terrorist attack on a political rally and for the brothers of Minister of State Malik Rasheed Ahmed Khan and Shafqat Abbas. Question Hour was later suspended to take up the day’s agenda, which included discussion on the flood.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan painted a grim picture of the devastation in K-P. He said that in Buner alone, 236 people had died, 120 were injured, while 1,470 shops and 875 homes were destroyed. He accused the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of failing to provide sufficient assistance to the affected communities.
The PTI leader also criticised the government for alleged rigging in the 2024 general elections. “We had 180 seats, then 91, and now we are left with 76,” he said. “Our voice is being suppressed. We will boycott this house and hold our own assembly outside.”
Despite repeated requests from Speaker Sadiq for the opposition to remain in the chamber, PTI lawmakers walked out, chanting slogans in support of their party founder. Outside Parliament, the party inaugurated a “people’s assembly” with a recitation from the Holy Quran under the chairmanship of former speaker Asad Qaiser.
Inside the National Assembly, a lack of quorum was pointed out, prompting Speaker Sadiq to express regret. “Today we have to discuss floods and the terrorist attack in Balochistan. It is highly regrettable that you point out quorum instead of engaging in debate on national issues,” he remarked.
