In a breach of parliamentary decorum, the Indian delegation members on Wednesday heckled National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq as he addressed the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Cape Town, prompting the chair to intervene and call for order.

The disruption came as Sadiq discussed climate change and referred, without naming any country or delegation, to issues relating to sudden flows of water in rivers and the withholding of water. The chair called for decorum so that Sadiq's speech could continue.

Later, the Jamaican speaker and host of the meeting grabbed the microphone from a member of the Indian delegation while he was speaking, drawing laughter from the hall. Sadiq continued his address despite the interruptions, calling for stronger parliamentary leadership, democratic accountability and international cooperation to address the growing challenges posed by climate change.

He said climate adaptation required fair financial support, democratic accountability, international cooperation and sustained parliamentary engagement. Sadiq said climate adaptation policies should be formulated with effective public participation, while democratic institutions should exercise meaningful oversight over climate-related policies and their implementation. "Parliaments should promote cooperation and meaningful dialogue rather than differences in addressing climate change challenges," he said, adding that strong democratic institutions were essential for building strong and resilient societies.