Pakistan: National Assembly Witnesses Violent Scenes As Lawmakers Attack Each Other During Budget Session

Pakistan’s National Assembly (NA) witnessed violent scenes on June 15 as lawmakers from the treasury & opposition benches nearly came to blows & hurled budget copies at each other. The mayhem began as opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif attempted to speak, for a second day, during the general debate on federal budget 2021-22. Videos widely shared on social media showed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Ali Nawaz Awan shouting expletives at a member of the opposition and tossing a book at his rival, who hurled it back at him. The situation turned tense again when Awan & the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Rohail Asghar & other leaders exchanged heated words as Shehbaz spoke. Speaker Asad Qaiser kept interrupting Shehbaz, requesting lawmakers on the treasury benches to refrain from shouting while the leader of the opposition spoke. "Imran Khan Niazi promised 10 million jobs. Where are those jobs?" asked Shehbaz Sharif. Later, budget books were seen flying across the NA hall as lawmakers from both sides attempted to hit each other with full force. Amid fear of full-blown violence breaking out in the house, the National Assembly Secretariat requested its Senate counterpart to send some of its sergeants-at-arms to control the situation. But the additional security personnel too appeared helpless as lawmakers from both sides continued to target each other with barbs and objects. Watch the video to know more.