Business Recorder
LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan has taken a firm stance on the issue of Statutory Regulatory Orders (SROs), questioning how long he can continue to stand as a wall against them and asserting that the authority to legislate must not be stripped away from the Assembly. He remarked that seventy years have passed, yet no institution has been established to educate those bodies for which laws are being enacted under the Constitution of Pakistan, despite the fact that the fate of the country rests in their hands. Addressing an emergency press conference at the Punjab Assembly, Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan delivered a firm message that all decisions regarding taxation will henceforth be made by the Assembly alone. He appealed to the members of the Assembly to fulfill their representative responsibilities with full commitment and to prevent anyone from usurping their constitutional powers. The Speaker stated that framing the decision on agricultural income tax as a conflict with the bureaucracy is an entirely misleading perception, adding that wherever nations have progressed, their path has always run through parliament. He stressed that this is not a battle against the bureaucracy but rather a reaffirmation that administrative powers have been granted to elected public representatives, and if the country wishes to achieve progress, the only path forward runs through parliament. The Speaker explained that agricultural income tax was to be imposed on large corporate farming entities, and the decision to repeal it also rests solely with the Assembly, as the powers vested in the Assembly cannot be exercised by any other body. He further revealed that the Cabinet has referred the matter to a committee to determine how many individuals should be exempted from the tax. Citing Article 77 of the Constitution, the Speaker clarified that any form of taxation must necessarily be brought before the Assembly, and no action can be taken in violation of the Standing Orders, Rules, and relevant Acts. He also reminded the house that the dispute over agricultural income tax had been ongoing in the Punjab Assembly for the past eight months. Meanwhile, the notifications regarding the increase in agricultural income tax, which had been suspended through a ruling the previous day, were restored during the Punjab Assembly session. The house unanimously condoned the delay in the prior presentation of the notifications, while several resolutions were passed by majority vote and the Punjab Film City Authority Bill 2026, along with the bills for seven private universities, were presented before the house. The Punjab Assembly session commenced under the chairmanship of the Speaker with a delay of two hours and five minutes. At the outset of the session, the notifications pertaining to the increase in agricultural income tax, which had been suspended through a ruling the previous day, were restored, and the house unanimously condoned the delay in their prior presentation. The motion to condone the delay in the prior presentation of the notifications was moved in the house by Provincial Law Minister Rana Iqbal. Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan explained that the ruling had been passed the previous day due to the failure to present those notifications before the house for approval, as amendments to the agricultural income tax were under discussion in an Assembly committee when an SRO was issued, which created complications in the clarification of jurisdictional authority, and the ruling was therefore necessary to ensure that no ambiguity remained. During the session, a question-and-answer exchange regarding the Department of Specialized Healthcare also took place, during which the Speaker directed that the taking of an oath by Parliamentary Secretary Rushda Lodhi be struck from the official record. Government member Tahir Pervez leveled sharp criticism at the health department, raising serious questions about the migration of doctors abroad and the large number of vacant positions. The Punjab Film City Authority Bill 2026, along with the bills of seven private universities, were presented in the house, while resolutions demanding the construction of the Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital, paying tribute to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, and transferring the Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) to the provinces were passed by majority vote. Upon completion of the session’s agenda, Panel of Chairpersons member Samiullah Khan adjourned the session until Wednesday (today) at 11 am. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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