Tempers flare as budget is approved in NA.

ISLAMABAD -- The opposition in Monday's National Assembly proceedings staged a strong protest during the passage of the finance bill for the fiscal year 2020-21, raising concerns over the recent increase in petroleum prices and depriving government employees of the annual increase in salaries and pensions.

The members from opposition and treasury benches throughout the proceedings engaged in verbal brawls on matters related the resignation of the Prime Minister, degree verification of pilots and Osama Bin Laden.

The house witnessed two different rounds of verbal brawls [between government and opposition members] including PML-N's Khwaja Muhmmad Asif and PTI's Fawad Chaudhary and JUI-F's Maulana Asad Mehmood and PTI's Ali Amin Gandapur.

The opposition, before staging a protest during the winding speech, also made a failed attempt to disrupt the proceedings by challenging the government over one of amendments. The treasury benches defeated opposition with 41 votes and successfully rejected the amendment proposed by its opponents. The opposition members holding colorful placards inscribed with 'Budget-Unacceptable', 'Prime Minister-Unacceptable', 'Petrol Chor and Cheeni Chor', 'Government responsible for Price-hike and Poverty' kept raising anti-government slogans at the time of windup speech.

At the outset of proceedings, PML-N's parliamentary leader Khwaja Muhammad Asif raised concerns that the government had also invited some COVID-19 positive members to secure their numerical strength to pass the finance bill 2020-21.

Regarding the terrorist attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi, he said the country is united against terrorism. Khwaja Asif also engaged in a debate with Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhary.

'Don't force me to say such a thing about you that you will find it difficult to sit in this House,' he said, inviting unstoppable anger from the government benches and Fawad Chaudhary. The chair rushed to cool down the messy...