Punjab MPAs across party lines demand debate on new provinces

LAHORE: In an assembly deeply divided, lawmakers across the political spectrum united Tuesday to demand a comprehensive debate on the creation of new provinces, a topic that dominated proceedings despite ongoing complaints about power outages, corruption allegations, and unreturned financial queries. Zulfiqar Ali Shah, a lawmaker, broke the silence on the demand, urging the chair to commence a thorough discussion on the issue, deeming it a critical national concern requiring immediate legislative action.

Chairpersons Samiullah Khan echoed the gravity of the demand, suggesting the matter be directed to the Business Advisory Committee for a dedicated session allowing both treasury and opposition members to deliberate freely. Amidst the debate, treasury MPA Ahsan Raza publically criticized the province's recurring power outages, warning of potential business collapse due to unannounced blackouts and called for the chair to summon top power sector officials to the assembly.

PTI MPA Sheikh Muhammad Akram highlighted "corruption" within the Suthra Punjab sanitation initiative, alleging payroll fraud where a single individual allegedly received salaries intended for multiple workers without adequate oversight. Financial matters took center stage during the Question Hour, with data revealing that Bank of Punjab's CEO earned Rs6.619 million monthly, while over 268 individuals, firms, and companies owed the bank more than Rs10 million each in defaults.

Treasury member Ahmad Iqbal questioned why the bank continued to operate without oversight by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), despite controlling public tax money. Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan deflected questions regarding finance and leave encashment abolishment, directing Parliamentary Secretary Taimur Ali Khan to consult the finance minister directly.

A PTI member, retired Brig Mushtaq, interrupted proceedings by pointing out a lack of quorum, leading the chair to ring the bells for five minutes to reassemble the members. However, the treasury could not gather the required 94 members, and proceedings were postponed to Thursday afternoon.