PA row deepens over habitual offenders' bill

The Punjab Assembly (PA) witnessed a second consecutive day of heated exchanges on Monday over the proposed Punjab Control of Habitual Offenders Bill 2026, with Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan refusing to allow debate on the legislation, saying it had not yet formally come before the House.

The Speaker directed that a copy of the draft bill be submitted to the Parliamentary Affairs Minister and the Assembly Secretariat for further consideration, effectively deferring discussion on the controversial proposal.

The session, which began nearly two hours behind schedule, was dominated by opposition protests over the proposed legislation before members resumed debate on supplementary budget demands.

Opposition Leader Moin Riaz Qureshi strongly criticized the draft bill, calling it unconstitutional and alleging it was intended to suppress political opponents and curtail freedom of expression.

"The Punjab Control of Habitual Offenders Bill 2026 is against fundamental rights and will be the final nail in the coffin of democratic traditions and freedom of expression," he said, claiming the government intended to use the law to silence dissent.

Drawing comparisons with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law introduced during a previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, Qureshi argued that the ruling party had itself suffered under legislation it had once enacted.

Responding to the criticism, Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan clarified that he had not been present when the bill was referred to the relevant committee or when its report was presented before the House.

"I was unaware of the bill. It had already been referred to the committee," he told lawmakers, adding that the government had not yet placed the legislation on the Assembly's formal agenda and that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman would address members' concerns at the appropriate stage.

The Speaker also informed the House that opposition MPA Rana Aftab Ahmad had submitted a written request seeking suspension of the bill's legislative process pending constitutional and legal review.

Reading out his letter on the floor, Rana Aftab argued that the proposed law threatened constitutional rights and civil liberties, expanded executive authority while limiting judicial oversight, and required detailed parliamentary scrutiny before being considered for passage.

The Assembly later resumed debate on supplementary budget demands, during which treasury and opposition members exchanged criticism over governance, development priorities and public services.

Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb defended the Punjab government's performance, saying governments should be judged by their delivery of public services. She announced that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz would inaugurate the Sargodha Cardiology Hospital during the first week of July and said the Nawaz Sharif Cancer Research Hospital had also been completed in record time.

Highlighting the government's development agenda, she said work was underway to replace decades-old underground water supply and sewerage infrastructure, while an Urban Development Programme was being implemented in 84 cities across Punjab.

She said water mapping had been completed in Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Bahawalpur and adjoining areas, where projects worth Rs42 billion were under execution.