LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly descended into pandemonium as the general debate on the provincial budget commenced, leading to a nearly two-hour suspension of the proceedings amidst intense sloganeering by the government and opposition benches on Thursday.

The members reportedly damaged microphones. A Treasury MPA accused an opposition member of stealing his watch, fueling the chaos.

The session, presided over by Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan, began three hours and 35 minutes behind schedule and immediately plunged into disarray. The uproar began when treasury MPA Bilal Yamin accused opposition member Ejaz Shafi of stealing his watch. This ignited a furious reaction from the opposition that countered with slogans of `Nawaz Sharif is a thief!`. As opposition members streamed into the House in protest, the accusation of the stolen watch echoed through the chamber, with government members waving their watches and chanting `watch thief`.

Speaker Khan struggled to restore order.

Bilal Yamin insisted that the opposition`s uproar was an attempt to distract from the watch theft.

The speaker was forced to adjourn the session and summoned parliamentary affairs minister Mujtaba Shuja, Samiullah Khan and Opposition Leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachar to his chamber for negotiations.

After an hour and fifty minutes, the session resumed. However, as soon as opposition members reentered the house, sloganeeringrestarted from both sides.

The House, once again, erupted with noise with the speaker`s calls for `Order in the House!` going unheeded. Bilal Yamin, speaking on a point of order, clarified that the commotion was to avoid discussion on his watch, which, he alleged, Ejaz Shafi had snatched from his hand on June 16 during a scuffle in the session.

He stated that the watch, though not expensive, held sentimental value due to its connection with his father.

In response, Shafi denied the `false and baseless` accusation. Shafi went on to say that, `it`s not just the Sharif family, but this entire party is full of thieves`. He further demanded that the chief minister who, he claimed, had not attended the House for an entire year, should be searched before him. Following these accusations, the speaker announced the formation of a committee to investigate the matter.

After the commotion subsided, Bhachar began the general debate on the budget 2025-26. The speaker initially cautioned the opposition leader against reading his speech, citing rules that only allow the finance minister to do so. Bhachar agreed to abide by the restrictions.

Commencing his speech, the opposition leader declared the proposed budget as `antipeople`, asserting that budgets should provide relief to the poor. He accused the current government of prioritising political actions against PTI, specifically `torturing` PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi. He questioned the sudden increase in the development budget from Rs842bn to Rs1.24tr, arguing that the government lacked thecapacity for such expenditure.

While acknowledging an increase in the education budget, he demanded a review of public schools to identify where the funds were actually needed. He noted the absence of new development projects despite the increased budget allocation.

Citing the `Rehri Programme` (cart programme) in which a company estimated Rs98,000 per cart but the metropolitan officers deliberately awarded the contract to a company that estimated Rs149,000 per cart.

Bhachar also criticized the Rs150 million `Bike Lane` project, which he claimed, was washed away in the first rain despite the CM`s assurance of a one-year warranty.

Bhachar reiterated his earlier concerns about the Ramazan Nigehbaan Programme, alleging embezzlement by 93 government employees.

The opposition leader highlighted the plight of farmers due to the wheat crisis, stating that wheat cultivation was at its lowest this year, leaving the farmers struggling while the government favoured specific individuals. He claimed that the farmers faced a loss of Rs36,000 per acre due to the government`s policies.

Bhachar disputed the government`s claim of 1.5m farmers in Punjab, asserting the number was over 80m. He accused the government of exploiting farmers through the `Kisan Card` and withholding over Rs20bn in farmer funds. He also pointed to a 30pc decline in cotton production and over Rs22bn loss for wheat farmers since 2023.

Staff Reporter