Ruckus Erupts in Parliament as Four Bills Pass Amid PTI Protests
The joint session lasted only 18 minutes

The joint session of Pakistan’s parliament, held on Friday, January 24, 2025, concluded with the passage of four bills despite significant disruptions caused by opposition protests.
The session presided over by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, began an hour later than scheduled and had prominent figures, including Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, and Sherry Rehman, in attendance.
However, Bilawal Bhutto arrived after the session had ended.
Lawmakers from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party vocally opposed the proceedings, particularly protesting against recent amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016. They entered the chamber with placards and chanted slogans such as “PECA Act unacceptable” and “oppression of journalists unacceptable,” while journalists present wore black armbands in solidarity with the protests.
During the session, which lasted only 18 minutes, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq rejected requests from opposition leader Omar Ayub to speak, leading to further unrest as opposition members stood on their seats and tore up legislative agendas.
In total, four bills were successfully passed:
- Trade Organisations (Amendment) Bill 2021
- Imports and Exports Regulatory (Amendment) Bill 2023
- National Institute of Technology Bill 2024
- National Excellence Institute Bill 2024
Conversely, four other bills were deferred due to the uproar:
- 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 for Arts, Science, and Technology Islamabad (Amendment) Bill 2023
Commerce Minister Jam Kamal presented the Trade Organisations Amendment Bill 2021 and the Imports and Exports Regulation Amendment Bill 2023, both of which were approved.
Senator Manzoor Kakar introduced the National Excellence Institute Bill 2024, which was passed, along with the National Institute of Technology Bill 2023.
The joint session has been adjourned until February 12.