LAHORE: Opposition lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly have submitted two separate adjournment motions, seeking debates on the alleged pre-emptive crackdown on the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers ahead of protests and the provincial government’s decision to provide 10 electric buses to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

PTI MPA Sheikh Imtiaz Mahmood, in his adjournment motion, alleged that whenever the party announces a peaceful protest, lists of its workers are provided to local police stations, leading to raids on their homes, harassment of workers and their families and preventive arrests.

The motion states that peaceful protest is a fundamental constitutional right and no citizen can be deprived of it.

It also raises concerns over reports of police allegedly entering the homes of female party workers without women personnel, “violating the sanctity of homes, damaging property and conducting operations without fulfilling legal requirements.”

The PTI lawmaker argued that members of the provincial assembly had taken an oath to uphold the Constitution and urged the House to suspend its routine business to debate the issue, seek an explanation from the government, order an inquiry into the allegations and take legal action if any official is found to have violated the Constitution or the law.

In a separate adjournment motion, opposition MPA Ejaz Shafi challenged the Punjab government’s decision to send 10 electric buses to the AJK, terming the move “political bribery” ahead of the elections in the region.

The motion states that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced the gift of 10 electric buses during an election rally in the AJK, and that the buses were delivered a day before the polls.

Questioning the source of funding, the mover asked whether the buses had been paid for personally by the chief minister or through taxes collected from the people of Punjab. It also claimed that the Punjab Assembly had not approved the decision and alleged that the buses were provided to strengthen the ruling party’s vote bank in the AJK.

The motion says the move is unfair to the people of Punjab, who are already facing severe economic hardships, and urges the assembly to admit the motion for debate.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2026