The opposition in the National Assembly made its first successful attempt since joining hands as a united front to disrupt the proceedings of the House on Monday. The opposition member Iqbal Afridi raised the issue of lack of quorum after Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq denied him the floor, following the House's discussion on the gruesome murder of a woman, Hina Javed, in Rawalpindi. All opposition members, including those from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), walked out of the House as soon as the quorum was challenged.
Leaders of opposition parties, who had met at the residence of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) head Maulana Fazlur Rehman a few days earlier, had decided to act as a united opposition with a joint strategy both inside and outside Parliament. "You can point out the lack of quorum, but I will not give you the floor," the Speaker told the opposition lawmaker. The chair then suspended proceedings until the quorum could be completed.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) seats were also empty when the proceedings were suspended. The government failed miserably in mustering the required number of members to complete the quorum. Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah adjourned the House until Tuesday (today) after a headcount was taken an hour later.
Earlier, the Speaker strongly condemned the murder of Hina Javed in Rawalpindi. He noted that Hina Javed, an official of the National Information Technology Board (NITB), had been attached to the National Assembly Secretariat for over six years until June 2026. Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also appreciated the role of the Women's Parliamentary Caucus in taking notice of the tragic incident.
Assuring all possible support to the caucus, he referred the matter to the Standing Committee on Interior with directives to submit its report to the House. Taking the floor, Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights Senator Azam Nazir Tarar said that upon receiving information about the incident, he immediately contacted senior police officials in Rawalpindi, adding that two suspects had been taken into custody.
He said he also issued directives to the Punjab prosecutor general, who had set up a special prosecution team to closely monitor the case. He assured the House that those involved in the brutal murder of Hina Javed would be punished. The minister said the Standing Committee on Interior would be provided every assistance by his ministry and the Punjab government regarding its work on the case.
The House also offered Fateha for the departed soul of the deceased woman.