Lawmakers in the National Assembly were embroiled in a tumultuous exchange of insults and physical confrontations on Monday as the government presented bills concerning the Supreme Court judges and the tenure of military chiefs.
Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar introduced bills aimed at increasing the number of Supreme Court judges and amending the SC Practice and Procedure Ordinance. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif proposed an amendment to extend the tenure of the services chiefs.
Following the controversial passage of the bills in the National Assembly, the Senate also approved them. The government seeks to expand the number of judges from 17 to 34 in order to facilitate the formation of constitutional benches and alleviate the backlog of cases.
Live footage captured the scene as Tarar and Asif read the bills amid a cacophony of protests from opposition members, who were seen tearing up copies of the legislation in front of Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
The lower house, initially scheduled to begin at 4 PM, was delayed and started at 6:50 PM. As opposition members gathered in front of the speaker’s dais to voice their dissent, the atmosphere grew increasingly hostile, with chants of “No, no!” ringing through the chamber.
Tensions boiled over when government and opposition lawmakers confronted one another directly, leading to the call for additional security. Slogans such as “Maryam ka papa chor hai” were met with counter-chants, including “Pinky, Gogi, aur Kaptaan, loot kar kha gaye Pakistan.”
The situation escalated further when a physical altercation broke out between Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar and PTI member Shahid Khatak, amid a backdrop of intense shouting and the use of foul language.
Despite the chaos, Speaker Sadiq pressed on with the proceedings and ultimately adjourned the session until 11 AM the following day after approving the amendment bills clause by clause.
