ISLAMABAD: The federal government has withdrawn the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, following a walkout by the Pakistan Peoples Party from the National Assembly, which raised serious objections over the ordinance’s legality and procedure.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the president has been advised, under Article 89(2)(b) of the Constitution, to withdraw the ordinance. The move came hours after the PPP staged a protest walkout from the House.
PPP MNA Naveed Qamar told the assembly that, for the first time in what he termed Pakistan’s “black legislative history”, an ordinance had been promulgated and enforced without the president’s approval or signature. He called the move shameful and unprecedented, saying such a step had not occurred even during past dictatorships. Declaring the situation unacceptable, Qamar announced that PPP members would walk out of the session.
Soon after, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari convened a high-level party meeting to discuss the issue, party sources said.
Responding on the floor of the House, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar said that nine or ten bills and ordinances were pending assent with the presidency. He said the government had recently been informed that the president had granted assent to several pending matters, and the SEZ ordinance might be part of that process.
Tarar stressed that under Article 75 of the Constitution, bills passed in a joint sitting are deemed assented to after ten days if the president does not act. However, he said the government had refrained from notifying even those bills out of respect for the presidency. He added that some legislation, including bills related to universities, remained pending and would not be promulgated without due process.
PPP MNA Agha Rafiullah, speaking to journalists, said the procedure adopted by the government was unconstitutional and had not been seen even during martial law periods under Ayub Khan, Zia-ul-Haq or Pervez Musharraf. He said PPP members were deeply concerned and felt compelled to raise their voice against what they viewed as an illegal act.
Separately, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq moved ahead with the process for appointing a new opposition leader in the House, setting Thursday as the deadline for issuing the official notification.
PTI Chief Whip Amir Dogar told the House that 75 members had signed a submission supporting Mahmood Khan Achakzai as leader of the opposition. The speaker later held consultations with PTI and PPP lawmakers and briefed them on the process.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the speaker had assured PTI members that the notification for Achakzai would be issued by Thursday. PTI leader Asad Qaiser also confirmed the development, saying the process would be completed this week in the presence of PPP members.
PTI was earlier forced to nominate new opposition leaders in both houses after Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz were removed from their positions on August 9 following convictions in the May 9 cases.
