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Punjab Assembly Passes Infrastructure Cess Bill After Quorum Failures

Fresh scrutiny of welfare pay alongside prison crowding signals strain in basic service delivery.

Overview

  • The Punjab Assembly, meeting Wednesday in Lahore, passed the Punjab Infrastructure Development Cess Bill 2026 after repeated quorum breakdowns.
  • Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan ordered a committee to deliver a detailed report next session on Zakat and Ushr clerks’ wages after reports of Rs20,240 monthly pay.
  • Punjab Minister Sohaib Bharrat disputed the low-pay figure and said the government had set salaries at Rs40,000, creating a gap the committee now must clarify.
  • Lawmakers reported more than 71,000 inmates housed against roughly 38,000 official capacity, and officials said new prisons are under construction as members also flagged poor medical care.
  • Quorum failures stalled most of the agenda, leaving eight listed bills and planned 90‑day extensions of four ordinances pending as the House adjourned until Thursday.