LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly session witnessed heated exchanges on Wednesday as Opposition Leader Moin Riaz Qureshi strongly criticised the government over what he called misplaced priorities and political victimisation.

Addressing the House, Qureshi condemned the ban on kites bearing images of PTI founder, saying pictures hold no significance as “the PTI founder lives in people’s hearts.”

He urged the government to focus on public welfare instead of political suppression, highlighting severe losses faced by farmers due to damaged wheat, potato, citrus and orchard crops.

He alleged continued exploitation of farmers and warned that silencing political voices would not solve public issues.

Criticises ban on ‘PTI kites’; speaker stresses decentralisation of powers

The opposition leader also raised concerns over restrictions on meetings with the PTI founder since November, claiming the lack of access was fueling rumours about his health. He demanded transparency, stating that if the PTI founder was shifted to hospital, his family must be informed and doctors allowed to examine him.

Qureshi thanked the speaker and deputy speaker for supporting opposition members and stressed that police should not enter lawmakers’ homes or violate the sanctity of households during protests. He also criticised the government for what he termed contradictory policies, alleging that images (of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz) were allowed at food distribution points but banned on kites.

Meanwhile, Punjab Minister Mujtaba Shuja defended Basant celebrations, calling it a historic and cultural festival of Lahore that boosts business and tourism. He assured the House that Basant celebrators would not be harassed and warned of strict action against any attempt to disrupt law and order.

During the Question Hour related to the Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Department, Deputy Speaker Zaheer Iqbal Channar expressed strong displeasure over the absence of departmental secretary, questioning whether the House was being taken lightly. He directed that secretaries and special secretaries must attend sessions, warning that proceedings would not begin in their absence. Following assurances by the parliamentary secretary, the session was briefly adjourned and later resumed.

The government announced plans to expand Wasa authorities’ jurisdiction to the tehsil level after June 30, along with phased construction of new water tanks. Concerns were raised over unregulated housing societies, lack of sewerage and drinking water issues, particularly in Multan, where lawmakers revealed that despite having 1,200 Wasa employees and annual expenses exceeding Rs4 billion, nearly 40 per cent of the population was forced to consume contaminated water.

Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan emphasised decentralisation of powers and acknowledged that despite sufficient funds from the chief minister, governance challenges persist, especially in rapidly expanding urban and rural settlements.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2026