LAHORE: Echoes of the demand for creation of new provinces reverberated through the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday as lawmakers across party lines called for a full-scale debate on the contentious issue, overshadowing an already heated session marked by complaints regarding power outages, alleged corruption, and un-returned financial questions.

Lawmaker Zulfiqar Ali Shah broke the house’s silence on the demand for new provinces, urging the chair to initiate a complete and detailed discussion on the issue.

Questioning why the house remained quiet on such a critical national issue, Shah said it demands immediate legislative attention.

Panel of Chairpersons Samiullah Khan acknowledged the gravity of the demand, proposing that the matter be referred to the Business Advisory Committee to schedule a dedicated session, so the members from both treasury and opposition benches could deliberate on the issue freely.

The session witnessed sharp exchanges over public grievances, with treasury MPA Ahsan Raza lambasting the ongoing power loadshedding across the province. Warning that local businesses face collapse due to unannounced outages, Raza urged the chair to summon top power sector officials to the house. Samiullah Khan directed him to table a joint resolution on the issue.

Meanwhile, PTI MPA Sheikh Muhammad Akram pointed out “corruption” in the Suthra Punjab sanitation initiative, alleging widespread payroll fraud, where a single person was drawing salaries intended for dozens of workers without proper oversight.

Financial transparency also took centre stage during the Question Hour. Data submitted to the assembly revealed that the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Bank of Punjab (BoP) receives a monthly salary and perks package of Rs6.619 million, while 268 individuals, firms, and companies owe over Rs10 million each in defaults to the institution.

Treasury member Ahmad Iqbal questioned why the bank continues to evade oversight by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) despite managing public tax money.

Expressing dissatisfaction over unprepared answers regarding finance and the abolishment of leave encashment, Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan deferred related questions, directing Parliamentary Secretary Taimur Ali Khan to consult the finance minister, directly

The proceedings were interrupted when a PTI member, retired Brig Mushtaq pointed out a lack of quorum, prompting the chair to order ringing of the bells for five minutes to call lawmakers back into the house. However, the treasury could not assemble the minimum required number of 94 members, prompting the chair to put off proceedings for Thursday afternoon.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2026