RAWALPINDI: The National Assembly of Pakistan turned into a battleground on Tuesday as opposition and treasury members shouted obscenities and hit each other with budget documents and fists, with government lawmakers refusing to stop sloganeering meant to disrupt the budget speech of Leader of the Opposition, Shehbaz Sharif, for the second consecutive day.
Videos of the brawl went viral on social media, prompting hilarious commentary from many tweeps.
Twitter’s leading funny lady @mahobili posted a video of the ruckus with the caption: “My family jab sabzi k sath gosht na banay” (My family’s reaction when vegetables are cooked without meat).
My family jab sabzi k sath gosht na banay pic.twitter.com/oXaWRSA8pf
— maho (@mahobili) June 15, 2021
Twitter user @Arhuml92 shared a video of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) MNA, Ali Awan loudly, abusing an opposition lawmaker as both tried to pounce on each other while their colleagues tried to restraint them.
“Gul Ahmed sale or National Assembly?” Arhum wrote, referring to common scenes of fighting between mostly women customers at sales of clothing brands like Gul Ahmed.
Twitter user Salaar Khan cut the video of lawmaker Awan with dialogue from another Twitter trend of the week, a show called ‘Midsummer Chaos’ about rich teenagers from Islamabad — scenes and dialogues from which have already become meme history.
Things are getting crazy in the National Assembly. pic.twitter.com/SOZM4khAFN
— Salaar Khan (@Brainmasalaar) June 15, 2021
Twitter user Arhum posted a video of Minister of Human Rights Shireen Mazari standing a distance from the flying fists but joining in on the action by screaming the Urdu word for a thief out loud repeadedly: “Chor!”:
“My mom at 3 am when I’m in the kitchen whipping up a late night snack.”
My mom at 3am when I’m in the kitchen whipping up a late night snack pic.twitter.com/VfUIyOfGDZ
— Arhum (@arhuml92) June 15, 2021
Mazari’s video was also shared by Twitter user @Mariaasaleem with the caption: “Me whenever i hear anything at 3am in my home…”
Me whenever i hear anything at 3am in my home... pic.twitter.com/loNCgDdfme
— Mango! (@mariaasaleem) June 15, 2021
Twitter user @Khan_zarmina tied the video to a relatable sentiment, “Me to my siblings when I can’t find something in first attempt.”
Me to my siblings when I can’t find something in first attempt. https://t.co/jc7k3mYdeQ
— Zarmina Khan Yousafzai (@khan_zarmina) June 15, 2021
As lawmakers hurled budget books at each other, journalist and editor Hasan Zaidi quipped: “There’s a case to be made for making lighter budgets.”
There’s a case to be made for making lighter budgets pic.twitter.com/Nhz3rQ9qd6
— Hasan Zaidi (@hyzaidi) June 15, 2021
Abid Qaiyum Suleri, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, proposed e-copies of the budget book for the future: “E-copies of these documents would not only save the trees but MPs too. Warning: Keep the children away from #nationalassembly proceedings.”
If not for the conservation of #trees, for the security of members of #parliament, budget books should not be published in future.
E-copies of these documents would not only save the trees but MPs too.
Warning: Keep the children away from#nationalassembly proceedings. pic.twitter.com/89LU5JID9s— Abid Qaiyum Suleri (@Abidsuleri) June 15, 2021