LAHORE: Crossing a milestone in Pakistan’s parliamentary history on Monday, the Punjab Assembly officially entered the digital age by conducting its first-ever completely paperless session under the new “e-Assembly” system.

The landmark session, which commenced with a delay of one hour and fifty-three minutes, was presided over by Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan.

At the outset, the newly elected MPA Zafar Abbas took the oath of office. The house also offered fateha for the departed souls of former lawmakers Malik Nadeem Kamran and Safdar Leghari, as well as for the citizens who recently lost their lives in Turbat.

Speaker Khan congratulated Fahad Shahbaz, an alumnus associated with the General Youth Assembly, on being featured in a prestigious American magazine’s list of influential young leaders. MPAs gave a standing ovation from their desks to honour his achievement.

The speaker declared that the adoption of paperless framework marks the beginning of a highly sophisticated era for the legislature. He emphasised that the digital transition will drastically cut down paper consumption, directly contributing to forest conservation and a reduced carbon footprint, besides saving millions of rupees for the exchequer.

Bill raising maximum age limit of VCs of medical varsities from 65 to 75 years introduced

He informed the house that specialised tablets, secured with unique codes, have been installed at the seats of all assembly members. He assured lawmakers that the e-assembly framework would be progressively strengthened and streamlined.

He added that a limited number of hard copies of bills and essential documents would still be provided to the members until the transition is fully optimised.

Treasury members Samiullah Khan and Amjad Ali Javed paid tributes to the speaker for pioneering the digital initiative.

During the Question Hour, matters regarding the revenue and colonies departments came under discussion. MPAs raised pressing issues concerning public grievances, revenue discrepancies, and the ongoing rehabilitation of flood victims.

MPA Javed disclosed that 758 acres of state-owned land, valued at approximately Rs4 billion, had been recovered from land mafias and fraudsters in Toba Tek Singh. He pointed out that certain government officials hesitate to take action against such influential mafias.

During a detailed debate over the state land leasing in Khanewal, Parliamentary Secretary Awn Jahangir clarified that 6,700 acres of government land have been leased out.

The session saw the introduction of several key ordinances and legislative bills, including the Punjab Judicial Academy Amendment Ordinance 2026, the Punjab Food Safety Laws Amendment Ordinance 2026, the Aga Khan Properties Succession and Transfer Bill 2026, and the Punjab Trusts Amendment Bill 2026.

Other legislation introduced during the session included the Punjab Control of Habitual Offenders and Anti-Social Behaviour Bill 2026, the Quaid-e-Azam Institute of Management Sciences Sargodha Bill 2026, the Public Sector Medical Universities (Amendment) Bill 2026, allowing raising of maximum age limit from 65 to 75 for the appointment of vice chancellors, the Punjab Consolidation of Holdings Bill 2026, the Punjab Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism Amendment Bill 2026, the Anti-Terrorism (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2026, the Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill 2026, and the Punjab Vegetable Market Lahore (Repeal) Bill 2026. All bills were referred to their respective standing committees for a detailed two-month deliberation.

Meanwhile, political friction flared up when opposition lawmakers staged a strong protest after being denied permission to debate wheat-related issues.

Opposition MPA Mushtaq Ahmed pointed out the lack of quorum, prompting the assembly bells to ring. Upon finding the house short of the required numbers, the speaker censured Chief Whip Rana Muhammad Arshad, reminding him that ensuring quorum is entirely his responsibility. Following the quorum disruption, the chair adjourned the proceedings until Tuesday afternoon.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2026