LAHORE: The government passed 12 bills in a row amid protest and boycott of the Punjab Assembly proceedings by the opposition when the session resumed after a two-day break here on Monday.

The session began with a one and ahalfhoursdelayasSpeaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan failed to keep his promise of starting the proceedings in time, made a day earlier.

During the Question Hour, when Environment Minister Merriyum Aurangzeb was responding to written queries by the lawmakers, the opposition PTI began protesting. The speaker taunted the opposition members by asking them to protest even louder.Later, the opposition members stood up and thumped their desks in protest when the house took up the lawmaking process.

The house passed 12 bills, including the Punjab Prohibition of Kite-Flying (amendment) Bill 2025 which further intensifies penalties for those involved in making, transporting, selling, purchasing and flying kites.

The opposition pointed out a lack of quorum in a bid to interrupt the legislative work. The chair ordered a head count and found the house in quorum, continuing the proceedings.

Meanwhile, the PTI MPAs walked out in protest.

Opposition leader Ahmed Khan Bhachar told the media outside the assembly building that the walkout was prompted by the treasury`s refusal to accommodate their amendmentsto the bills related to education, forest,housing, specialcourtsfor overseas Pakistanis and sanitation authority.

He claimed that the house was also not in quorum as only 52 MPAs were present, but the deputy speaker continued the proceedings `in violation of the rules of procedure`.

`Monday`s sitting was the darkest chapter of the parliamentary history and worse than even martial law days as all amendments and suggestions by the opposition members were bulldozed,` he said.

Earlier, the speaker presented the special house committee`s report on the lease of land for Lahore Gymkhana Club.

Quoting the report, he said the club consists of 1,090 kanals of land, but the tax on it was not paid even in double figures. The rentfor the land was fixed at 50 paisas per kanal, he said, adding that it`s a pity that even this meager amount was not being collected.

He said the lease agreement was so flawed that the Gymkhana also got an opportunity to encroach upon more state land, occupying eight acres of the Floriculture Garden in the Bagh-i-Jinnah.

The speaker said it was alleged that the lease issue was raised in the house as a pressure tactic as he perhaps desired to get membership of the Gymkhana Club for some people. `But I told the club administration that I have a membership since my birth.

He added that if Gymkhana Club was charged the rent at the rate of the state-owned shops in Kot Radha Kishan, Khudian Khas, Depalpur, Pakpattan and other towns, there would be no need to deprive the poor of shelter.