LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly session was adjourned indefinitely on Tuesday after it failed to meet the required quorum with proceedings lasting barely an hour as a large number of lawmakers remained absent.
The sitting opened amid protests from the opposition which complained that it had been denied the opportunity to speak during the previous day’s proceedings. Heated exchanges followed between treasury and opposition members.
Speaking on a point of order, Deputy Opposition Leader Hafiz Farhat said the session had been convened on the opposition’s requisition and, therefore, opposition lawmakers should have been given adequate time to present their views. He recalled that it had been agreed a day earlier that opposition speeches would follow the question-and-answer session. However, he alleged that the quorum issue was deliberately raised immediately after the question hour to prevent the opposition from speaking. He urged the Chair to suspend the rules and allow the opposition to speak first, saying it wanted to discuss important national issues, including the matter involving Ali Dar.
When the Chair declined the request, opposition members themselves pointed out the lack of quorum during the session they had requisitioned. Chair Raja Shaukat Aziz Bhatti ordered the bells to be rung for five minutes to summon members to the House. However, despite the announcement, the required quorum could not be achieved. The Chair subsequently adjourned the House indefinitely.
According to the day’s agenda, the House was scheduled to take up questions relating to the Industries Department, discuss five adjournment motions, and consider three private members’ bills concerning the establishment of private universities.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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