The National Assembly on Tuesday approved the federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year following a protest and walkout of Opposition legislators.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb formally presented the finance bill for approval after opposition members staged a protest and exited the session.
The walkout followed a fiery speech by Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who launched sharp criticism against the government on multiple issues.
Opening his address, the opposition leader criticised the Speaker’s conduct, saying the government had completed nearly two and a half years in office and accusing the chair of disregarding constitutional principles while removing 14 lawmakers from the Assembly, in an apparent reference to disqualified members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
Achakzai also condemned the reported life imprisonment sentence given to Mahrang Baloch of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee and criticised the government’s handling of recent unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Turning toward Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who was present in the House, Achakzai referenced the premier’s earlier remarks, arguing that Pakistan was not an abstract concept but represented all provinces equally, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh, and Punjab.
He accused the ruling coalition of interfering with the judiciary and violating constitutional norms, while urging parliament to strengthen democratic institutions.
Addressing the PM directly, Achakzai called for engaging the people of Balochistan and ensuring provinces benefit fairly from their own natural resources, extending the same demand to Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Speaker Ayaz Sadiq accused the opposition of inconsistency and said he would not permit speeches targeting Pakistan, its armed forces, or the judiciary.
He maintained that if his actions were being labelled constitutional violations, he was prepared to stand by them. The Speaker also criticised opposition members for questioning Parliament’s legitimacy while continuing to make extended speeches in the same House and refusing participation in parliamentary committees.
Following the exchange, opposition lawmakers, including Achakzai, walked out of the session, though members of JUI-F remained seated.
After the opposition’s departure, PM Shehbaz Sharif spoke about recent diplomatic developments involving negotiations between the United States and Iran.
He said Pakistan had played an important mediatory role in the discussions alongside Qatar, stressing that Islamabad worked sincerely to help reduce tensions between both sides.
He noted that negotiations continued late into the night, after which mediators issued a joint statement confirming technical discussions would continue over the next 60 days.
Addressing opposition criticism about the legitimacy of the government, Shehbaz said that if questions were being raised about the current administration, then the legitimacy of governments formed after the 2018 Pakistani General Election should also be examined under the same standard.
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