Pakistan's National Assembly on Thursday held its shortest session since the start of the parliamentary year, lasting only 11 minutes due to the absence of ministers.
Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah expressed frustration over the non-participation of parliamentarians.
“The size of the Cabinet has increased, yet no one is here to answer during the question hour,” Shah said. “We do not accept this behavior. We have already informed the prime minister about this.”
The Cabinet, expanded under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has grown significantly in recent months, with new ministers added to key portfolios. Despite this increase, their absence from the session raised concerns over government accountability and parliamentary oversight.
Shah lamented that no minister attended the session or provided an explanation for their absence.
As the question hour began, the deputy speaker was informed that the relevant ministers were not present. Questioning the purpose of continuing the proceedings under such circumstances, he adjourned the session until 11:30 a.m. on Friday.
After the National Assembly session, opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party leaders held a news conference criticizing the non-participation of ministers in the National Assembly.
Former Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser said Sharif has recruited an army of ministers but cannot conduct the session, we condemn this behavior.
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