The Nation

Government defers
controversial habitual

offenders bill till August.


| PA approves supplementary budget!
‘amid Opposition walkout.

‘OUR STAEF REPORTER:
LAHORE |


+The Punjab Assembly on Monday ap-
: proved ail 38 supplementary budget
igrants for the fiscal year, 2025-26
‘after.a stormy sitting dominated by
,@ heated debate over the proposed
[Punjab Control) of Habitual Offend-
“ers Bill 2026, sharp exchanges over.
“the © governnient’s’ development
‘agenda and an ‘opposition walkout
“over what it described as inadequate
‘time’to speak: The session, chaired
_ by Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad
: Khan, began nearly two hours behind
schedule. and ‘witnessed’ repeated
Feonfrontations between treasury and
‘opposition lawmakers before the op-
: position boycotted the proceedings:
*“ The House opened with opposition
“members  mounting ‘a ‘strong .chal-
“lenge to the proposed Habitual Of-
: fenders Bill, which they described as
“ unconstitutional and a threat to civil
_ liberties. Opposition . Leader.» Moin
Riaz Qureshi said the proposed leg-
;islation violated fundamental rights
‘ and would undermine, democratic |
“values.."The Punjab Control of Ha-
bitual Offenders Bill 2026 fs against
“fandamental rights and will become
“the final nail in the coffin of demo-
.erati¢ traditions and freedom of ex-
’ pression,” he said, alleging that the
‘government intended to use the law
.to suppress dissent ‘and silence its
“critics. Qureshi also recalled what he
termed the PML-N’s previous experi+
; ence with controversial accountabil-
_ ity legistation, saying laws enacted for
“political purposes had eventually
_ bounded against their own architects.
Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad
Khan clarified that he had not been
Faware of the bill when it was referred
, tothe relevant committee. “On the day
3 the bill was introduced, another mem:
ber was’ presiding ‘over’ the’ ‘sitting,
“and I was also absent when the com-
*ynittee's report was’ presented”, thé
: Speaker sald. Ile added that although
the committee process had been com:
pleted, the government had not placed
: the bill on the Assembly's agenda for
‘passage. The Speaker directed that
“a copy of the bill be submitted to the
+ Provincial Minister for Parliamentary
{ Aflairs and the Assembly Secretariat.


PFA‘seals three food points,
confiscates equipment


‘When opposition member Mian Ejaz

Shafi sought permission to debate the
legislation, the Speaker declined, say-
ing the House should proceed accord-
-ingto theday’sagenda.  ~


v2 Lettoday’s sitting procee  accord-

“ing to the agenda. 1, too, have had a
difficult time during this session,” he
“remarked, Punjab Minister for Parlia-
mentary Affairs and Finance Minister
‘Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman assured
‘the House that the government would
table the bill for approval during the
Assembly's ‘August session rather
than in the ongoing sitting. During

the proceedings, opposition member

Rana Aftab Ahmad read out a letter
he had addressed to the Speaker, urg-
ing him to prevent the bill from being
‘passed without further scrutiny. 2°”

"The letter called for the proposed
legislation to be referred back to the
‘relevant ‘committee for ‘comprehen-


‘sive constitutional and legal review,

It argued that the bill could endanger
citizens’ fundamental rights and free-
doms, conflicted with constitutional
guarantees  relating to freedom of
‘expression, raised questions about
the transparency“of the legislative
process, significantly expanded | ex-
ecutive authority while curtailing ju-
dicial powers, and therefore required
‘detailed  parliamentary.  debate and
independent legal opinion before be-
ing’ enacted., Assembly sources sald
that the bill will be ‘sent back to the
‘concerned standing for review, The
“House later took up debate on the 38
supplementary budget grants, during
which opposition lawmakers Hafiz

  Farhat Abbas, Zulfigar Bhatti, Sheikh

Imtiaz and Nadeem Qureshi accused
the government of unequal distribu-
tion of development funds, neglecting
Multan and other regions,. corrup-
ton, and falling to address worsen-
ing water, shortages,. Responding to

the criticism, Senior Provincial Min-

ister Marriyum Aurangzeb defended
the ‘provincial government's perfor-
mance’ and , budget. priorities.” She
‘said the administration of Chief Min-
ister Maryam Nawaz had delivered
{170,000 houses’ within 14. months
‘and planned to introduce 3,000 elec-
tric buses across Punjab by next year,
with the fleet increasing to $,000 by
the end of the government's term." °

“Tuesday, June 30,2026.


LAHORE: RPO Sheikhupura Region, Athar Ismail and OPO Kasur District Aftab Phularwan coming to
Punjab Assembly.—Wire photo ;

Top.cops face lawmakers as

DPO-PA Speaker row deepens

‘OUR STAFF REPORTER,


The fate of Kasur
Nice Officer (DPO) Aftab Phu-.
larwan will now be decided
by the Punjab’ Assembly's Jus
dicial Committee after the As-
sembly's Privilege Committee
referred the matter to it over.
allegations relating to a vili
cation campaign against Pun-
jab Assembly Speaker Malik.
Muhammad Ahmad Khan."

“The DPQ appeared. before
the . Privilege:-Committee on
Monday" but, according _ to.
committee» members,’ failed
to” satisfactorily’ respond . to.
allegations: that he had beer
involved in a campaign to ma.
lign the Speaker. The referral
came after, Aftab, Phularwan
had. carlicr appeared before
the Assembly’s Committee on™
Law Reforms, where his ex-
planation was also. found to
be“ unsatisfactory, Following


“deliberations ‘the: Privilege
Committee decided to. refer
the case to the Judicial Com-

- mittee, which is empowered

under the Assembly’s rules to
examine the matter further
and recommend or impose ac-
tion commensurate with the

‘tion in the Sheikhupura Region,

by Punjab Inspector General

‘of Police (IGP), the Regional
Police Officer (RPO) Sheikhu-:;,
“ined a social media campaign”

pura, and Kasur District Police

,Officer (DPO) Aftab Phularwan: :
‘Committee members discussed .

the overall lawand order situa:


PA Judicial committee to

__ decide fate of DPO Kasur

nature and gravity of the of-
fence, if any is established. :

: Earlier, the Law  Reforms
‘and_ Legislation . Committee
‘on Sunday held an important
meeting to review the deterio-
rating law and order situation
in Kasur district, with senior
police officials appearing be-
fore lawmakers ‘to explain the
ing crime concerns.      en
“The meeting was’ attended

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: RAWALPINDI CANTONMENT. BOARD '
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with particular focus on_Ka:

_ (sur district, where. increasing

incidents’ of crime and public:
‘Safety ‘concerns “came _undei
‘scrutiny. The committee mem:
bers claim, DPO Aftab Phular-
wan failed to provide satisfac
tory answers to a number. o}
questions raised by members:


‘regarding’ policing and crime:

- “control in the district. The com-*
"mittee" also “alleged. that the
DPO ‘attempted «to withhold


“facts relating to the prevailing:
“Yaw and order situation.*"""""


The. meeting had also exam-;

sallegedly’ conducted by the:
DPO's Public Relations Officer:
{PRO} against Punjab Assem-"
bly Speaker Malik Muhammad
Ahmad Khan. During the pro-,;
ceedings, the DPO had stated -

paign carried ‘out by his PRO.,
However,  he  ‘acknowledged °
“that no ‘disciplinary ‘action®
chad been taken ‘against the:
official over the: matter. Com-;
Inittee _members  expressed.
dissatisfaction’ with the DPO’s;

response, saying he had failed .

, he was unaware of the cam--

to demonstrate his disassocia-:

‘tion from what they described
as a sustained -character-as-:
sassination campaign against!
: the Speaker, They maintained.”
“that the episode had under-.
mined the dignity ‘and privi--
- leges of both the Speaker ; and:
=the committee: ""”

URAAN”
PAKISTAN
Sennett

OR STAFF REPORTER.
LAHORE


Enforcement teams of PFA on
“the directions of Director Gen-
“eral Punjab Food. Authority
; Syed Musa Raza, carried out ops
- erations in Shalimar, Jail Road
‘and Ferozepur Road to ensure.
: the provision of safe and qual-
‘ity food. During the operation,
“three: food businesses ‘ were
: sealed, one food. business was
i heavily fined and two freezers,
ra fryer and a preparation table
“were confiscated.. Food safety
‘teams sealed:a kulfi. produc-
tion unit’ in Shalimar Town, a


ECP. releases revised


al
‘and a;renowned restaurant
‘on Ferozepur Road for serious
‘violations of food safety regula-:
tions. Large quantities of pro-:

hibited China salt and expired

‘food items were discarded dur-;

ing the operation. Teams found

that the businesses were oper-,
“ating in violation of the Pure

Food Regulations: .. Prohibited
China’ salt was being used in
the preparation of various food

‘products. Poor sanitation ar-

rangements,. :fungus-infested

:walts and an unhygienic” envi-
‘ronment, were also observed.
during the Inspections.”              :


“DG PFA ‘Syed Musa Raza said
that teams found a heavy pres:.

ence of insects, flies and spider
webs in the processing areas,.
Mandatory records,: including’

employees’ medical certificates,
food safety training certificates.
and oil replacement logs, were
also unavailable..

He said that on the directions:

of the Chief Minister Punjab, the:
Authority Is working round the’.
clock to ensure the provision of -
safe and wholesome food across

the province. He said that strict’

enforcement. (operations + will
continue against food businesses
violating food safety laws;    :


‘Schedule for


schedule of demarcation | Matri¢ Tech exam’
of union councils’
‘in Punjab

-OUR STAFF REPORTER ,
LAHORE 7"


Of Pakistan has released
_ the revised schedule of di
:limitation of union coun-
ieils in Punjab, According
:to the schedule issued by -
the Election Commission,
, objections can be filed on
. the delimitation till July 4,
i while Union Councils will
ide on the delimi


‘objections till July 29. Aus |...
“gust 7.is the last date for
ae