On March 21, 2024, the Provincial Assembly of Punjab convened for the second sitting of the fifth session.

The following are key observations of the sitting:

• At 1145 hours, members on the treasury benches protested for 15 minutes over the display of the PTI founder’s picture during the speech of the newly nominated leader of the opposition. Subsequently, eight lawmakers belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League—Nawaz (PML-N) also staged a walkout for the same reasons.
• During the session, one lawmaker raised a point of order, which lasted for a total of two minutes.
• The nominated Leader of the opposition initiated the discussion on the Annual Budget for the final quarter of 2023-2024 (April to June) presented during the first sitting of the ongoing session. In addition, 18 lawmakers participated in the discussion spanning two hours and 52 minutes.
• The sitting commenced one hour and 34 minutes later than scheduled and lasted for three hours and 43 minutes, including an eleven-minute recess.
• At the start of the session, 56 members were present, while by the end, 51 members were present, including five members elected on reserved seats for minorities.
• The next sitting of the Punjab Assembly will be held on Friday, March 22, 2024, at 0900 Hours.

This factsheet is based on the direct observation of the House proceedings on March 21, 2024, by the Free and Fair Election Network.

For more updates, visit FAFEN Digital, www.fafen.org and www.openparliament.pk