On May 6, 2025, Omar Ayub Khan, the Leader of the Opposition in Pakistan’s National Assembly, penned a formal letter to the NA Speaker, alleging that his recent parliamentary speech was censored and its live broadcast deliberately interrupted. He contended that this action violated the Speaker’s prior assurance that his address would be aired live without any interference.
Ayub further claimed that his requests for access to the official audio and video recordings of his speech were unjustly denied, despite no portion of the speech being officially expunged. He accused the Secretary General of the National Assembly, Tahir Hussain, and the Director General (Media), Zafar Sultan Khan, of willfully disregarding the Speaker’s directive, thereby undermining the transparency of parliamentary proceedings.
Invoking Article 66 of the Constitution, which guarantees members’ freedom of speech within Parliament, Ayub emphasized that such censorship infringes upon the rights of opposition members and compromises the integrity of the legislative process.
This incident follows a similar episode in March 2024, when Ayub’s speech during the prime ministerial election was reportedly interrupted, while the newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s address was broadcast without hindrance.