ISLAMABAD: The National Assem­bly on Monday witnessed a furore over the alleged casualties of women and children during an air strike in Tirah valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers staging a walkout against the ongoing military operations in the province and the treasury benches slamming the party for ‘siding with terrorists’.

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq did not allow the PTI lawmakers to speak on the issue during the question hour, saying that the whole nation was divided over the controversy.

Cautioning the PTI lawmaker, who wanted to speak on the matter, the NA speaker said that the opposition member wanted to raise a “controversial matter on which there is a division not only in the House but also in public opinion”.

The PTI lawmakers holding placards against the last week’s bombardment in Tirah chanted slogans demanding an immediate end to security operations, triggering a verbal clash with the treasury benches. As slogans of “military operations not acceptable” echoed in the hall, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar sought “action against supporters of khwarij”. He asked the chair to take notice of this ‘drama’ and ‘game’.

At a time when floodwaters had inundated half of the country, the PTI members were siding with terrorists, the minister alleged. He said over 80,000 had laid down their lives in the fight against terrorism.

PPP lawmaker Agha Rafiullah accu­s­­ed PTI leadership of resettling terrorists from Afghanistan in Pakistan and said those Afghans were targeting citizens. “Shame on these PTI lawmakers for so blatantly supporting khwarij and opposing military action against militants,” he said.

PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, however, asserted that military operations were not a sustainable solution to terrorism. “We will not support any such operations in any district. Dialogue and political engagement are the way forward,” he said.

In an unusual move, PTI MNA Iqbal Afridi came close to the Speaker’s dais and recited the Azaan, with many other lawmakers praying to get rid of from what they termed “corrupt and illegitimate rulers”. The NA speaker, however, said he would not allow supporters of terrorists to speak in the House.

The NA also adopted a resolution against misbehaviour by PTI founding chairman Imran Khan with a senior journalist, Ijaz Ahmad, during a recent court appearance at Adiala Jail.

After a walkout was staged from the press gallery over the issue, the law minister condemned the incident. He said online trolling of the journalist had compounded the issue.

Later, the NA adopted a resolution condemning the harassment of the journalist and calling for enhanced security mea­sures for media personnel facing threats.

The resolution, tabled by MQM’s Khawaja Izharul Hassan, was adopted despite objections from PTI’s Barrister Gohar, who requested the NA speaker to defer the motion. Gohar argued that passing the resolution without fully ascertaining facts would set a troubling precedent. “I am scheduled to meet Imran Khan in Adiala Jail on Tuesday (today) during trial proceedings and will inquire directly about what transpired. I will then engage with the journalist concerned,” he assured the House.

But the NA speaker proceeded with the resolution, which was adopted with a majority voice vote.

The House also passed the landmark Asaan Karobaar Bill aimed to reform the regulatory framework governing businesses, trade, and investment by eliminating cumbersome procedures and streamlining complex compliance requirements.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2025