The Punjab Assembly witnessed a rare and unusual boycott by treasury lawmakers on Friday, who staged a token walkout during the budget debate. The move surprised even Deputy Speaker Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channar, who remarked that the treasury boycott “should not have happened” and was contrary to democratic traditions.
Budget Debate Turns Contentious
The session was convened to hold a general debate on the provincial budget for FY 2026-27. However, it turned contentious when Opposition Leader Moin Riaz Qureshi used much of his speech to highlight the plight of PTI leaders and workers facing legal cases and imprisonment.
Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman objected to the opposition leader’s remarks, arguing that they had little relevance to the budget under discussion. “You have not spoken about the budget at all. We did not come here to listen to these matters,” the minister said before announcing a token boycott of the proceedings by treasury members.
Mixed Response to Boycott
Interestingly, as the minister led the walkout along with other treasury lawmakers, a small group of treasury members comprising four female and 10 male members stayed in the House despite the protest call. The treasury boycott drew criticism from the chair as Deputy Speaker Channar repeatedly expressed surprise over the treasury lawmaker’s attitude.
At another point, the deputy speaker remarked, “I do not understand why the government staged a boycott. This is not a good precedent.” He later added that such conduct was not in keeping with democratic traditions and deserved condemnation.
Mediation and Return
Later, PPP’s Ali Haider Gilani and MPA Rana Babar were tasked by the chair with bringing treasury members back into the House. Following the mediation efforts, treasury members eventually returned and proceedings resumed.
The first day of the general budget debate thus produced more political confrontation than detailed examination of fiscal proposals. As government lawmakers began leaving the House, Opposition Leader Qureshi launched a blistering attack on the ruling coalition, claiming the walkout exposed its weak parliamentary presence.
Opposition Leader’s Remarks
“Today the government ran away with its tail between its legs,” he said. “It has now been proven that they had only seventeen seats, and only seventeen people remained in the House.” He further alleged that “all the Form-47 beneficiaries have fled the Assembly.”
During his speech, Qureshi devoted significant attention to PTI founder Imran Khan and other party leaders facing legal proceedings. He alleged that PTI leaders had been imprisoned in politically motivated cases and criticized the treatment of several senior figures, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid and Senator Ejaz Chaudhry.
He claimed that party workers Sanam Javed and Falak Javed had been unjustly jailed and argued that opposition leaders had been removed from elected institutions through fabricated cases and disqualifications designed to induce defections and fear. The opposition leader warned that PTI considered Imran Khan its “red line” and declared that opposition members would resign from assemblies if any harm came to the former prime minister.
Qureshi criticized the government’s education outsourcing programme. He also accused the government of failing to complete development projects initiated in previous years and alleged that new schemes were being launched primarily for political and financial gain rather than public welfare. Government members, however, rejected the opposition’s criticism and defended the budget as a pro-development and pro-people document.
