LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly passed seven bills on Wednesday by a majority vote, including a key law reducing traffic fines, but the session was overshadowed by lawmakers agony over issues in the Minority Affairs and Human Rights Department.

The session, chaired by Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, began after a delay of over two hours.

Lawmakers approved the Motor Vehicles (Fourth Amendment) Bill 2026, which significantly lowers fines for several traffic violations.

Under the amended law, motorcycle challans have been reduced from Rs2,000 to Rs1,000 in certain cases, with the maximum fine capped at Rs2,000. For rickshaws, minor violations will now incur a Rs1,000 fine instead of Rs3,000, while serious violations will carry a Rs2,000 penalty.

Similarly, fines for cars and jeeps have been reduced from Rs5,000 to Rs2,000 for certain offences. However, penalties for over-speed remain unchanged.

The amendments will come into force after final approval by the Punjab governor.

During the Question Hour, the House witnessed heated exchanges over the issues related to Minority Affairs and Human Rights Department.

Treasury lawmaker Tahir Parvez accused the department of issuing relief cheques to minority communities that bounced. He presented several such cheques in the House.

The speaker expressed strong displeasure, stating that minorities are an integral part of society and should not be treated carelessly. He directed the department to investigate the matter and submit a report to the assembly on Thursday.

The assembly also passed the Social Security (Amendment) Bill, Public Sector Universities (Amendment) Bill, and Stamp (Amendment) Bill among the seven approved pieces of legislation.

After completing the agenda, Deputy Speaker Zaheer Iqbal Channar adjourned the session until Thursday morning.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2026