Ministers absent again; Deputy Speaker adjourns NA session in protest

The National Assembly session was abruptly adjourned on Thursday after Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah lashed out at federal ministers for their continued absence.

Expressing his frustration, he protested against their non-serious attitude and postponed the session until 11:30 am on Friday, reported 24NewsHD TV Channel.

During the session, questions regarding the Petroleum Ministry were on the agenda, but no federal minister was present to respond.

This blatant absence angered the Deputy Speaker, who remarked that such behaviour displayed "highly irresponsible conduct" from the government.

He further added, "The absence of ministers in the National Assembly session is unacceptable. There will be strict rulings on this."

Frustrated by the lack of representation from the government side, he declared that the proceedings could not continue without ministers’ participation and adjourned the session in protest.

This is not the first time Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa has voiced his outrage over ministers' absences. Three months ago, on December 12, 2024, he had warned the government about this issue.

Back then, the session had started with opposition leader and former Speaker Asad Qaiser pointing out the empty seats on the Treasury benches, particularly those of federal ministers.

Attempting to give the government a chance, the Deputy Speaker had briefly adjourned the session for 15 minutes to allow ministers time to arrive. However, when the session resumed, the cabinet members were still missing, further escalating tensions in the House.

Senior Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leaders, including Syed Naveed Qamar and Shazia Marri, expressed serious concerns over the ministers' absence. They called it a sign of irresponsibility and questioned whether the government had any interest in parliamentary affairs.

Reacting strongly, Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah slammed the ministers for their indifference and hinted at writing a formal letter to the prime minister, complaining about the cabinet members' continuous neglect of legislative proceedings.

He also issued a stern warning, saying that if this behaviour persisted, he would refuse to call a session next week in protest. The session was then adjourned without conducting any official business, leaving lawmakers frustrated and questioning the government’s commitment to governance.

MNAs offer fateha for Hafiz Hussain Ahmed

The National Assembly resumed its session at the parliament house in Islamabad with Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah in the chair.

At the outset, the house offered fateha for the departed soul of former lawmaker Hafiz Hussain Ahmed.

The chair while expressing displeasure over the absence of the relevant ministers who had to respond during the question hour, adjourned the house till tomorrow at eleven thirty am.