MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly was once again unable to hold a debate on the already-approved budget on Tuesday following a renewed technical objection from PML-N regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir, a key figure in the ruling coalition.

At the outset, Mr Qadir reiterated his previous day’s stance, questioning the legality of debating the budget after its approval, particularly after Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar had already given a ruling on the matter.

Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq argued that if points of order could be discussed post facto, there was no bar on discussing demands for grants after their approval.

However, the Speaker maintained that only the select committee’s report on the finance bill was open for debate, and that all resolutions required a mandatory seven-day notice under the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure.

One such resolution on the Iran-Israel conflict had been submitted by Mr Qadir. Invited by the Speaker to move a motion for rule suspension to allow immediate discussion on resolution, Mr Qadir declined, saying he was willing to observe the procedural timeline rather than seeking an exemption for himself.

Law Minister Mian Abdul Waheed urged him again, but former Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider pointed out their lack of numbers to successfully move a motion for rule suspension.

Following further persuasion from the Speaker, Mr Qadir moved to suspend sub-rules 1 and 2 of Rule 111, which the House approved.

Subsequently,the House unanimously passed four resolutions tabled by Mr Qadir, PPP ministers Chaudhry Qasim Majeed and Sardar Javed Ayoub, and PML-N minister Sardar Aamir Altaf.

The resolutions strongly condemned Israeli and US strikes on Iran, particularly those targeting nuclear facilities, calling them a gross violation of the UN Charter and international law. The assembly also decried the atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza, terming them among the gravest humanitarian crises in modern history.

They warned that Israel’s continued aggression—facilitated by US support—could trigger a wider global conflict and urged the international community to push for a two-state solution for Palestine.

Expressing solidarity with Iran, Palestine, and Gaza, the Assembly called upon the OIC and Muslim countries to take a united stand against Israeli expansionism. It also supported an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Iran and lauded the Iranian leadership and people for resisting hegemonic designs.

The resolutions praised Pakistan’s armed forces under Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for their strategic restraint and defence of the country’s interests amid Indian belligerence.

PPP Chairman and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was also commended for his diplomatic performance at different international forums, where he effectively countered Indian propaganda and advocated for Kashmir’s right to self-determination.

Earlier in the session, Mr Haider brought to the chair’s attention that on budget day, Syed Shaukat Ali Shah—a four-time MLA and former minister — was unlawfully detained on the first floor of the Assembly building.

He claimed Mr Shah’s only “offence” was submitting a written notice to protest the presence of a “non-State Subject, Asim Sharif Butt, in the Assembly and Cabinet.”

Mr Haider maintained that the Assembly premises fell under the Speaker’s exclusive jurisdiction, from where even a criminal could not be arrested without his prior permission.

Moved by his emotionally charged remarks, the Speaker asked Mr Haider to submit a written complaint and assured that an inquiry would be conducted to identify those responsible.

Later the house was adjourned till Thursday.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2025