A demand by the opposition to postpone agenda items of the Punjab Assembly on Monday in view of the ongoing law and order situation in the province was turned down and members from across the aisle accused each other of making false claims about casualties in clashes during a protest march of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
A heated exchange erupted in the assembly after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman launched a strong counterattack in response to a question raised by MPA Hafiz Farhat, challenging him to resign over what he called "false claims" regarding the number of TLP supporters allegedly killed.
The minister said he would resign if the opposition member's claim was correct but otherwise Farhat should also do the same. "if so many were injured, where did they go?" the provincial minister asked.
Shujaur Rehman said, "There is no justification for standing on the assembly floor and lying to the people."
He also claimed that former prime minister Imran Khan was responsible for the similar Model Town tragedy, and not then minister Rana Sanaullah.
The minister said Punjab had witnessed a 70 per cent decrease in crime as compared to the previous year, adding that "some districts have even achieved a zero-crime rate".
Taking aim at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, he said, "K-P is plagued with corruption and zero deliverance. The people there have been held hostage by remnants of General Faiz and General Bajwa."
He asserted, "Those sitting in the K-P government are the same who were once part of the Form-47 set-up," adding, "We all came to power through elections."
The exchange drew loud reactions across the house, with treasury and opposition members trading barbs as the session descended into chaos.
However, the treasury benches continued with the assembly proceedings and passing bills despite the opposition's repeated interruption for adjourning the house because of deteriorating law and order in Punjab and the recent incidents of violence.
Opposition Leader Moin Riaz Qureshi urged the chair to postpone the day's agenda, stating, "The house proceedings should be deferred as the security situation across Punjab is alarming."
Over their repeated calls for adjournment being ignored, the opposition lawmakers stood up from their seats, shouted slogans, and tore and flung copies of the bills into the air in protest.
Despite the chaos, Acting Speaker Zaheer Iqbal Channar proceeded with the legislative business and approved the Punjab Local Government Bill 2025, overruling opposition objections.
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