LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly session on Thursday began one hour and forty-two minutes late, with Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan presiding over proceedings that saw heated debate on wheat procurement failures and women’s skill development.
The session’s most significant development was the Speaker’s announcement establishing a scrutiny committee for public petitions, allowing ordinary citizens to formally petition the Assembly on matters of public importance. The committee, to be chaired by the Deputy Speaker, will have 30 days to formulate recommendations, with petitions requiring a minimum of 200 signatures.
Opposition member Rana Shahbaz raised sharp concerns over the government’s handling of the wheat crisis, alleging that despite promises of procurement at Rs 3500 per maund, not a single grain was purchased. He warned that continued government inaction and unnecessary license inspections were discouraging farmers from storing wheat in the future.
Speaker Ahmad Khan defended the government’s position, stating that wheat prices had stabilised between Rs3600 and Rs3700 per maund due to government intervention.
Opposition member Nadeem Qureshi criticised the lack of attention towards South Punjab’s government offices, particularly regarding women’s training programmes, while Parliamentary Secretary Sadia Taimur pledged greater practical action over political rhetoric.
During the session of the Punjab Assembly, the Provincial Employees Social Security Amendment Bill 2026 was presented during government business. The bill was tabled in the house by the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, after which debate on the bill commenced in the assembly.
During the proceedings, opposition member Sardar Muhammad Ali pointed out the lack of quorum, following which the Speaker ordered the ringing of bells due to the quorum being incomplete. At this point, the opposition members staged a walkout from the house. Subsequently, the Panel of Chairperson Samiullah Khan adjourned the session until two o’clock in the afternoon on Monday.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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