On Thursday, Deputy Speaker Zaheer Iqbal Channar delayed the Punjab Assembly session for 10 minutes after the treasury and opposition benches began screaming slogans and making deafening noise over the exhibition of the PTI founder’s picture.
The session is called to approve Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman’s three-month budget, which he presented to the House on Monday.
The chaos began when Ahmed Khan Bachar, the opposition leader selected by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), began debating the budget while holding up a photograph of the PTI’s founding chairman.
Tehseen Fawad, a PML-N MP elected to women’s reserved seats, objected and requested its removal.
However, SIC members – PTI-backed independents who use the SIC as an umbrella – reacted by chanting slogans against PML-N leadership and beating desks.
The move elicited a combined response, with Malik Waheed and other PML-N members supporting Tehseen and raising slogans.
In the midst of the chaos, Channar attempted to restore order in the House but was unable to calm the opposing parties, so he decided to pause proceedings for a short break.
This is a developing story. Details to follow.
