2 weeks Ago By OUR STAFF REPORT
LAHORE - The Punjab Assembly on Monday passed three bills with majority vote amid low attendance and rejection of all amendments moved by the Opposition. Monday’s session began two hours and 38 minutes late. During the proceedings, three bills were passed while two new bills including the Walled City Lahore Amendment Bill 2025 and the Financial Advisory Services Punjab Bill 2025 were introduced and referred to the relevant standing committees.
Moved by Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, the Punjab Finance (Amendment) Bill 2025, Punjab Energy Efficiency and Conservation Agency Bill 2025 and The Punjab Regional Planning Authority (Amendment) Bill 2025 were passed by the Assembly when the quorum was not complete. At the time of the passage of the Energy bill, only 26 members of the Assembly were present in the House, with 8 belonging to the opposition. At this point, an opposition MPA Brig.
(R) Mushtaq pointed out the lack of quorum and the Chairperson Malik Arshad Advocate adjourned the session until Tuesday at 2 PM. As the Punjab Assembly continues to face disruptions over quorum issues, the speaker and the treasury members accused the Opposition of backtracking on its earlier commitment of not pointing out lack of required attendance. Friday’s session was adjourned due to lack of quorum, and the same scenario was repeated on Monday.
The speaker expressed disappointment at the repeated quorum calls, terming it a negative tradition in opposition-led sessions. The government’s own efforts to maintain attendance also fell short, as Chief Whip Rana Arshad failed to ensure sufficient presence of ruling party MPAs. The proposed amendment in the finance bill seeks to streamline the process of tax collection by holding drawing and disbursing officers or principal officers of local authorities, companies, or other public bodies accountable in cases of employment.
The amendment mandates that after tax deductions from employee salaries, these officers shall be responsible for depositing the deducted amounts into the treasury. In cases of non-compliance, where officers either fail to deduct or deposit the tax, they will be held liable to pay the payable amount of tax. The Excise and Taxation Officer will be empowered to issue appropriate recovery orders for the said amounts.
Moreover, the amendment ensures that due process is followed by requiring that individuals are given an opportunity of being heard before any recovery is made. Punjab Energy Efficiency and Conservation Agency Act 2025 proposes the establishment of a new body named the Punjab Energy Efficiency and Conservation Agency (PEECA). The agency will be responsible for implementing measures to conserve energy and enhance energy efficiency across the province, functioning similarly to the federal NEECA Act.
According to the bill’s provisions, PEECA will be empowered to conduct energy audits of industries, commercial centers, and public buildings. These audits will aim to identify wastage and recommend improvements. Additionally, industries will be required to schedule production outside peak hours, and non-compliance could result in fines ranging from Rs.
50,000 to Rs. 1 million. PEECA will also accelerate the rollout of solar energy projects and introduce automated energy management systems in industrial setups to monitor and regulate electricity use.
Real-time energy consumption monitoring systems will be installed in major urban centers including Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Multan. Tax incentives for Gwadar Port not possible, Senate body told The bill outlines the creation of an Energy Fund to support research into alternative energy sources and the modernization of outdated technologies. Subsidies will be provided to low-income consumers for purchasing energy-efficient appliances.
To raise public awareness, the agency will launch campaigns through media and educational institutions. Free training workshops will be organized for industries and rural communities, while farmers will be trained in the use of solar pumps and alternative energy technologies. In its inaugural session, the agency will formulate a comprehensive five-year plan aimed at making Punjab self-sufficient in energy production and mitigating the power crisis.
.Earlier in the session, treasury member Saeed Akbar Nawani further slammed the cabinet’s absence, accusing ministers of roaming freely while showing no accountability to the Assembly. Several members jointly called on the Speaker to stop shielding the cabinet and let ministers answer questions themselves.
Niwani lamented that not a single minister was present in the House during this crucial discussion. Opposition member Rana Shehbaz echoed the frustration, saying the lack of ministerial presence compelled them to call for a quorum check. The Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan admitted that the ministers’ benches remained vacant, saying only one minister was present in the House.
He voiced strong concerns on Monday regarding the consistent absence of ministers from the Assembly proceedings, admitting openly in the House that only one minister was present while the rest of the ministerial benches remained empty. “I am compelled to inform Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz that her ministers are not attending the House,” said the Speaker during the session. He dismissed the usual justification that ministers are busy elsewhere, stating, “When we investigated, we found that they were not occupied at all.
” The speaker issued a formal ruling, directing that ministers’ attendance in the Assembly must be ensured. He emphasized the importance of ministerial participation, especially during critical debates such as those concerning wheat support prices. OIC stands firm behind Kashmiris: Special Envoy Also, senior ruling party member Saeed Akbar Nawani raised a point of order, criticizing the government for not concluding the multi-day debate on the wheat crisis with a formal policy statement.
Former Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal demanded that the Minister for Agriculture be summoned to the Assembly to announce the official wheat support price policy. He criticized the government’s lack of clarity, stating neither the agriculture department nor the banks knew what to do. Tags: punjab assembly passes.
