LAHORE: The second sitting of the 45th session of the Punjab Assembly faced hurdles for the ruling party, as proceedings were once again suspended due to a lack of quorum following strong opposition pushback.

The session, presided over by Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, commenced around two hours behind schedule. Early in the sitting, during the national anthem, opposition member Iqbal Khattak pointed out that uniformed personnel present in the house failed to salute. In response, Speaker Khan issued strict directives requiring all uniformed officers to salute during the national anthem.

As formal legislative business began, opposition member Rana Aftab Ahmed raised strong objections over proposals regarding the police department’s involvement in recovering e-challan fines. Terming the police action overbearing, he questioned the authority under which the chief traffic officer (CTO) proposed shifting e-challan recoveries to the police force and linking the payment of fine to various services.

The speaker echoed these concerns, stating that granting authority to withhold default drivers’ passports would constitute an overreach of power.

PA session adjourned again for lack of quorum

Discussions on public issues continued as opposition member Sardar Shahabuddin highlighted severe flood destruction within his constituency, reporting hundreds of homes swept away by river currents and thousands of families displaced.

The speaker directed Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafique to coordinate with the deputy commissioners in the affected districts and report back to the assembly.

Additionally, opposition member Shazia Abid brought forward grievances regarding the Suthra Punjab programme, citing alleged underpayment to workers and a rising trend of employees resigning from the initiative.

Amid these debates, the assembly unanimously passed a resolution welcoming Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.

However, as government business was set to proceed, opposition member retired Col Shoaib Amir pointed out the lack of quorum. The chair suspended the sitting for five minutes to allow members to gather. Upon resumption, the required number of lawmakers was still not present, forcing the chair to adjourn the assembly until Tuesday at 2pm.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2026