LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly witnessed a fiery start to its session on Friday as opposition members entered the house, raising passionate slogans and holding aloft pictures of incarcerated founder of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan.

Despite repeated calls from Deputy Speaker Zahir Iqbal Channar to take their seats, the opposition benches echoed with fervent demands.

The session commenced on a somber note with a prayer offered for the departed uncle of Law Minister Sohaib Bharath. However, the atmosphere soon turned charged as opposition members voiced their concerns on various pressing issues.

Treasury Amjad Ali Javed urged the government to listen to the grievances of the Grand Health Alliance, who have been protesting outside the assembly for the past 10 days. He questioned the absence of the relevant minister from the House to address their concerns.

PPP MPA Mumtaz Chang criticised the alleged removal of the Grand Health Alliance’s protest camp by the police.

Responding to these concerns, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mujtaba Shuja mentioned that committees at both the health department and government levels were already addressing the matter. Deputy Speaker Channar also echoed the sentiment, stating that the Grand Health Alliance’s camps should not have been dismantled.

The session then took a heated turn as Opposition Leader Ahmad Khan Bhachar addressed the assembly, focusing on his recent arrest and the treatment meted out to him and others attempting to meet the PTI founder in Adiala jail. Treasury members repeatedly interrupted his speech with critical remarks.

He vehemently condemned the “worst treatment” allegedly being inflicted on the PTI founder as Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul, Allama Nasir, Hamid Raza and he (Bhachar) himself, were stopped two kilometers from the jail, and they were kept waiting for two hours.

Reiterating the difficulties faced in meeting the PTI founder, Bhachar alleged that half an hour was spent just obtaining permission, while they were kept waiting in a prisoners’ vehicle. He lamented the “foolish act” that was widely reported on social media and television, which he believed had tarnished the Punjab government’s reputation.

He emphasised that their visit to the jail was with the Supreme Court’s larger bench’s permission and questioned the denial of meetings with the PTI founder’s sisters. He suggested that the courts should be closed if their orders for meetings were not being respected.

Bhachar concluded by reiterating his question about the Punjab government’s authority over Adiala Jail, given the treatment he and others had faced. He condemned the extravagant spending on advertisements for “good governance” while allegedly using the police to harass and arrest opponents.

Responding strongly to the Opposition Leader’s speech, Minister Mujtaba Shuja defended the government’s actions and criticized the PTI’s past tenure. He alleged that the PTI founder was made prime minister through stolen elections, while PML-N held a majority in Punjab.

He accused PTI of attacking the state, drawing praise from Indian channels for their leader’s actions, which he claimed even India could not achieve. He condemned the alleged destruction of martyrs’ statues.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2025