The Punjab Assembly on Monday approved all 38 supplementary budget grants for the fiscal year 2025-26 after a stormy sitting dominated by a heated debate over the proposed Punjab Control of Habitual Offenders Bill 2026, sharp exchanges over the government’s development agenda and an opposition walkout over what it described as inadequate time to speak.
The session, chaired by Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, began nearly two hours behind schedule and witnessed repeated confrontations between treasury and opposition lawmakers before the opposition boycotted the proceedings.
Opposition Challenges Habitual Offenders Bill
The House opened with opposition members mounting a strong challenge to the proposed Habitual Offenders Bill, which they described as unconstitutional and a threat to civil liberties. Opposition Leader Moin Riaz Qureshi said the proposed legislation violated fundamental rights and would undermine democratic values.
“The Punjab Control of Habitual Offenders Bill 2026 is against fundamental rights and will become the final nail in the coffin of democratic traditions and freedom of expression,” he said, alleging that the government intended to use the law to suppress dissent and silence its critics. Qureshi also recalled what he termed the PML-N’s previous experience with controversial accountability legislation, saying laws enacted for political purposes had eventually rebounded against their own architects.
Speaker Clarifies Bill Status
Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan clarified that he had not been aware of the bill when it was referred to the relevant committee. “On the day the bill was introduced, another member was presiding over the sitting, and I was also absent when the committee’s report was presented,” the Speaker said. He added that although the committee process had been completed, the government had not placed the bill on the Assembly’s agenda for passage.
The Speaker directed that a copy of the bill be submitted to the Provincial Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and the Assembly Secretariat. When opposition member Mian Ejaz Shafi sought permission to debate the legislation, the Speaker declined, saying the House should proceed according to the day’s agenda.
“Let today’s sitting proceed according to the agenda. I, too, have had a difficult time during this session,” he remarked.
Government Promises August Tabling
Punjab Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman assured the House that the government would table the bill for approval during the Assembly’s August session rather than in the ongoing sitting.
During the proceedings, opposition member Rana Aftab Ahmad read out a letter he had addressed to the Speaker, urging him to prevent the bill from being passed without further scrutiny. The letter called for the proposed legislation to be referred back to the relevant committee for comprehensive constitutional and legal review. It argued that the bill could endanger citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms, conflicted with constitutional guarantees relating to freedom of expression, raised questions about the transparency of the legislative process, significantly expanded executive authority while curtailing judicial powers, and therefore required detailed parliamentary debate and independent legal opinion before being enacted. Assembly sources said that the bill will be sent back to the concerned standing committee for review.
Supplementary Budget Grants Approved
The House later took up debate on the 38 supplementary budget grants, during which opposition lawmakers Hafiz Farhat Abbas, Zulfiqar Bhatti, Sheikh Imtiaz and Nadeem Qureshi accused the government of unequal distribution of development funds, neglecting Multan and other regions, corruption, and failing to address worsening water shortages.
Responding to the criticism, Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb defended the provincial government’s performance and budget priorities. She said the administration of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had delivered 170,000 houses within 14 months and planned to introduce 3,000 electric buses across Punjab by next year, with the fleet increasing to 5,000 by the end of the government’s term.
She said water supply and sewerage schemes were underway in 86 cities, Rs42 billion worth of clean drinking water projects were being completed in South Punjab, and wastewater treatment plants would be established across the province.
Aurangzeb also defended the provincial government’s purchase of an aircraft for the Chief Minister, saying it had been acquired to improve public service delivery and ensure rapid response during emergencies.
Opposition Walks Out Over Speaking Time
During the budget debate, the opposition pointed out a lack of quorum, temporarily suspending proceedings. After the quorum was completed, the House resumed business, but opposition members later walked out, protesting that they had not been given sufficient time to present their views. Despite the boycott, the Assembly approved all 38 supplementary budget grants for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman also announced four months’ honorary salary for employees of the Punjab Assembly Secretariat, the Law Department, 90 Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam and certain other provincial departments. After completion of the day’s agenda, Deputy Speaker Zaheer Iqbal Channar adjourned the House until 1 p.m. on Tuesday (today).
