A heated confrontation among lawmakers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) disrupted proceedings of the Sindh Assembly on Friday, prompting the suspension of a party member and the adjournment of the session.

Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi said he would brief party chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on the matter following reports of threats exchanged among party members.

Khurshidi said tensions between Rana Shaukat and Shariq Jamal had subsided, adding that Rana Shaukat would present his position in the House on Saturday.

When asked whether Engineer Usman would apologise on the floor, he said he could not comment as the party leadership had not yet contacted him.

The dispute surfaced during the assembly session when MQM-P MPA Rana Shaukat from Hyderabad alleged that he had received death threats outside the assembly from MNA Iqbal Mehsud of the PSP group and MPA Shariq Jamal.

He warned that if any harm came to him, the Speaker would be held responsible. His remarks triggered uproar in the House.

As Provincial Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Home Minister Zia Lanjar rose to speak, MQM’s Mustafa Kamal group lawmaker Engineer Usman allegedly began issuing threats to Rana Shaukat and others.

The situation escalated further when a video surfaced showing Engineer Usman threatening, over the phone, to have the opposition leader beaten.

The Speaker, along with Zia Lanjar and Sharjeel Memon, reacted strongly and summoned police to the assembly premises.

Amid the chaos, Khurshidi appeared unable to restore order as the Speaker repeatedly asked him how to proceed, to which he responded: “You run the business.”

Later, the Speaker suspended Engineer Usman’s membership and adjourned the session until Saturday.