Pakistan’s National Assembly speaker has initiated the process to disqualify opposition lawmaker Sheikh Waqas Akram over 40 consecutive days of absence without approved leave, prompting a sharp protest from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
This marks only the second time in Pakistan’s parliamentary history that a member faces removal for violating the 40-day absence rule under Article 64 of the Constitution. The last such case was in 2022, when the seat of PTI lawmaker Mian Muhammad Soomro was declared vacant under the same provision.
Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq informed the House on Tuesday that Akram, who also serves as PTI’s information secretary, had neither attended a single session nor participated in committee meetings.
“Under Article 64 of the Constitution, if a member remains absent for 40 days without leave, their membership can be terminated,” the speaker said.
A formal motion to vacate Akram’s seat was moved by Nausheen Iftikhar, a ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker.
Opposition backlash
The move was strongly opposed by PTI members. Malik Amir Dogar, a senior PTI lawmaker, challenged the speaker’s impartiality.
“Tell me when the rules have ever been fully implemented here. Our members were arrested from Parliament itself. They’ve been thrown in jail – this is an injustice,” Dogar said.
In response, Sadiq noted that the House had repeatedly issued production orders for detained members. “Where was this right between 2018 and 2022?” he asked, referencing the PTI-led government’s tenure.
Tensions escalated during the exchange, with Dogar saying, “If this is the environment you want to maintain, then the Parliament might as well be locked.”
The speaker urged calm, insisting the House must operate according to rules.
Government defends action
Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry defended the action, citing the previous disqualification of Mian Soomro under similar conditions during the last government’s tenure.
The speaker also acknowledged approved leave applications from top PML-N leaders, including former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his nephew Hamza Shehbaz, both of whom rarely attend parliamentary sessions.
Legal background
Article 64(2) of Pakistan’s Constitution states that a member may be disqualified if they remain absent from the Assembly for 40 consecutive days without leave.
In August 2022, then-Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf issued notices to four PTI lawmakers for prolonged absence. A motion was later passed, and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) de-notified Soomro on August 15, 2022, after rejecting his apology.
The current speaker is expected to decide soon whether to forward a formal reference against Waqas Akram to the ECP, which has the final authority to disqualify the member.
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