20 hours Ago By OUR STAFF REPORT
LAHORE - The Punjab Assembly held a general discussion on Monday to mark International Women’s Day, focusing on women’s empowerment and their contributions to the economy. Women legislators highlighted that 36 percent of Pakistani women actively participate in the economy. They emphasized that women’s rights are granted by God and should not require validation from society.
The discussion also recognized the historic struggle for equal wages and better working conditions, tracing its roots to the sacrifices of women in Chicago’s labor movement. The women lawmakers belonging to the government also praised Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for her leadership and claimed she had outperformed CMs of other provinces. Members including Ishrat Ashraf, Mehwish Sultana, Nargis Faiz, and Hina Parvez Butt, spoke in favor of women’s rights and celebrated CM Maryam Nawaz as a symbol of women’s empowerment.
However, the session was met with opposition protests, as opposition members criticized the absence of female representatives during Monday’s special session dedicated to Women’s Day. During the session, the Assembly passed two bills—the Punjab Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Punjab Infrastructure Development Cess (Amendment) Bill 2025—both moved by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman. The opposition pointed out a lack of quorum during the legislation, but it was found to be complete after count.
The Opposition staged a token walkout from the House when the Deputy Speaker Zaheer Iqbal Chanter did allow its member Ejaz Shafi to speak. The 22nd session of the Assembly started three hours and five minutes late, and tensions flared as a treasury member, Amjad Ali Javed, launched a verbal attack on the Forest Department during the Question Hour on Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries. Javed accused the department of providing incorrect responses daily, claiming that officials had been submitting false information for a year.
He stated that while his constituency had seven forests, the department acknowledged only three, and he vowed to file a privilege motion against officials for misleading the House. A treasury member Mumtaz Chang raised concerns over the law and order situation in the Kacha region, particularly in Rahim Yar Khan. He accused law enforcement of harboring criminals, alleging that despite presenting evidence of police corruption to the Inspector General (IG), no action had been taken.
Chang further claimed that innocent people were being falsely accused of crimes, including fabricated murder charges, and that police had unlawfully seized property documents from citizens. He warned that such actions could force people into criminal activities, rendering them homeless and vulnerable to exploitation. Azma Bukhari slams alleged politicisation of healthcare crisis Tags: adopts bills opposition.
