The joint session of parliament on Friday lasted only 18 minutes, during which the treasury utilized nine minutes to pass four bills. The session, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, was adjourned until February 12 immediately after the proceedings.
Despite beginning an hour late, the session was attended by notable figures, including Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Raja Pervez Ashraf, and Sherry Rehman. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari arrived after the session had concluded. Members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) were also present.
During the session, PTI parliamentarians staged a protest, holding placards and raising slogans.
Speaker Denies Opposition Leader the Floor
Opposition members requested the speaker’s permission to speak on a point of order, but their request was denied. In response, they protested vigorously, raising slogans against the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) amendment and demanding the release of PTI founder Imran Khan. The opposition also threw copies of the agenda on the speaker’s desk and stood on the seats in protest.
Bills Passed
Commerce Minister Jam Kamal tabled the Trade Regulations Amendment Bill 2021 and the Import and Export Regulation Amendment Bill 2023, both of which were approved. Additionally, Senator Manzoor Kakar presented the National Excellence Institute Bill 2024, and the National Institute of Technology Bill 2024 was passed by a majority vote.
Deferred Bills
According to the session agenda, eight bills were scheduled for presentation. However, only four were tabled and approved. The postponed bills included:
- National Commission for Human Development Amendment Bill 2023
- NFC Institute of Engineering and Technology Multan Amendment Bill 2023
- National Skills University Islamabad Amendment Bill 2023
- Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science, and Technology Islamabad Amendment Bill 2023
