LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly session on Wednesday began with a delay of one hour and nineteen minutes, and immediately after commencement, the quorum was pointed out.
Opposition member Mian Ejaz Shafi raised the issue of quorum, following which the session was adjourned for five minutes. Due to the incomplete quorum, the Punjab Assembly session was postponed until Thursday (today) at 11:00 am.
Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan expressed concern over the governor calling the session on extremely short notice. The speaker stated that many members come from distant areas and should have been informed at least two to three days in advance about the session.
He further mentioned that when he learned about the session at 11:00 pm, he had serious prior commitments of his own. The speaker said that sessions should be called with at least two to three days’ notice.
Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Moin-ud-Din Riaz Qureshi commented that the session was called by the government, and the governor convened it at midnight.
He stated that when they arrived at the session today, the government could not complete the required number for its own called session. He remarked that in a developing country where people face difficulties running their households, the government is not showing seriousness.
Qureshi further stated that government representatives do not prefer attending sessions, and assembly members have no confidence in their own government.
Qureshi also mentioned that yesterday one of Imran Khan’s sisters was allowed a meeting, and while all prisoners in that jail are permitted to meet visitors, Imran Khan is not allowed to meet his family members.
Earlier, Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, while addressing the Punjab Parliamentarians Conference, said that distributing powers to lower levels leads to improvement in governance. He emphasized that the tale of “two Pakistans” is evident everywhere, including in the education and health sectors. When comparing the expenditure per child between large private educational institutions and government schools, the disparity becomes clearly apparent. He added that providing facilities to the public is the responsibility of provincial governments.
Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan remarked that the Balochistan government is taking measures to improve the lives of local people.
He stressed that provincial governments must work toward providing facilities for local populations.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025