ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Sunday unanimously approved a motion to revoke the session-long suspension of opposition MNA Iqbal Afridi, paving the way for his return to the House after a rare rapprochement between the treasury and opposition benches.
The development came after PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan appealed to National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, assuring him of Afridi’s positive conduct in future proceedings.
Following the assurance, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq moved the resolution to end Afridi’s suspension, which had barred him from attending the ongoing budget session. The House passed the motion unanimously, ending days of political tensions.
However, the speaker cautioned that parliamentary discipline must be upheld.
“Iqbal Afridi does not only create problems for the government; he also creates serious difficulties for the opposition,” Ayaz Sadiq remarked, stressing the importance of maintaining decorum in the House.
The session also witnessed an exchange over media coverage of parliamentary proceedings. Responding to Barrister Gohar’s complaint that opposition voices were being muted on state television, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that although the audio had been muted, opposition tickers continued to run on television screens.
Tarar also raised concerns over the limits of parliamentary speech, asking whether criticism directed at the military and judiciary should be allowed on the floor of the House.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif called for a fresh code of conduct for parliamentarians and urged lawmakers to collectively frame new rules to improve the functioning of the House.
Reflecting on his political journey, Asif acknowledged that he had criticised the military on several occasions in the past, but said the cycle of confrontation needed to end.
He also launched a sharp critique of Pakistan’s VIP security culture, urging the speaker to keep parliament free from the presence of “Vigo” vehicles, which are widely associated with the country’s security apparatus.
“Whoever sits in a Vigo truck instantly becomes arrogant,” Asif said, calling for a ban on such vehicles within parliament premises and even on public roads.
Highlighting the changing fortunes of political power, Asif remarked: “When we are in government, the police clear the way for us. When we are in opposition, the police chase us.”