The Provincial Assembly of Punjab, also known as the Punjab Assembly, is the supreme legislative body of Punjab, a province of Pakistan. It convenes at the Assembly Building in Lahore, the capital of Punjab.
It is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives; and was established under Article 106 of the Constitution of Pakistan, having a total of 371 seats, with 297 general seats, 66 seats reserved for women and 8 reserved for non-Muslims.
Assembly building The two-story Assembly Chamber, residential hostels, and expansive lawns cover on the Shahrah-e-Quaid-Azam (The Mall). After it was completed in 1935, the Assembly Chamber housed the Assembly for the Punjab province. After the division of Punjab and the emergence of Pakistan, the building became the administrative center of Pakistani Punjab.
New Assembly Building The new Assembly Hall is constructed positioned between the old and the new Assembly buildings. It has a capacity of 500 seats in the main hall and 600 seats in the galleries for the visitors and 300 seats in the press gallery for media personals covering the proceedings of the House. There would be a
th a capacity of 400 are also included the new building. Also, the new offices of the CM, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, ministers, and Leader of the Opposition in the assembly were set up in the Secretariat building of the new building. It was inaugurated on 2 January 2023.
Old Assembly Chamber Designed by Bazel M. Salune, chief architect of the Architecture Circle of Punjab, the foundation stone of the Assembly Chamber was laid by Sir Jogindar Singh, Minister of Agriculture, on 17 November 1935 during the British Raj. The construction was completed in 1938.
The first floor houses the Assembly Hall, which combines Indian and Roman architecture. Originally designed for a small number of members, it now accommodates 371 members. The hall is fitted with a public address system and a closed-circuit television system. There was gallery seating for 200 visitors to view the proceedings of the Assembly, but now most of the gallery has been designated as floor of the house to accommodate the increased number of members, and accommodations for radio and TV press. The rest of the first floor consists of the Speaker's Chamber, the Chief Minister's Chamber, the Deputy Speaker's Office, the Cabinet Room, the Ministers' Offices, two committee rooms, and the Assembly Secretariat offices.
The ground floor includes a reception area, a cafeteria, a library, a prayer room, a dispensary, the office of the leader of the opposition, the bank, the Assembly Secretariat offices, and one Committee room.
Pipal's House The members' first residential hostel, called Pipal's House, was built in 1950. It is situated near the Punjab Civil Secretariat, and contains 40 units. Two-story blocks form 3 sides of a common garden, with 6 units in each story. A fourth block houses the remaining four units.
Each residential unit consists of a large bed-sitting room, a dressing room and a bathroom. Some units have a kitchen and a veranda. There is a corridor in front of all rooms serving as a passage.
Additional housing In 1988, a project was formed to provide additional housing for Assembly members. Nayyar Ali Dada was appointed a consultant by the Chief Minister of Punjab, who was responsible for the project. Composed of blocks A and B, the construction was planned for the western lawn of the Assembly building. Block A was designed as a semicircular building, and Block B as a rectangular building. Block A, divided into phases I and II, was originally intended to contain 108 suites.
Construction of phase I of Block A began in 1988, when the foundation stone was laid down by the Chief Minister Nawaz Sharif. This phase was completed in 1992 and the inauguration ceremony was presided over by Manzoor Wattoo, Speaker of the Assembly. It consists of a basement, a ground floor, and four residential floors. The ground floor includes a reception area and a lounge for visitors, as well service areas. The four residential floors consist of a total of 36 suites, with nine suites per floor. Each suite consists of one bedroom with an attached bathroom and a kitchen.
The Phase II plan originally called for 72 residential units, but was later revised to include 40 residential suites each consisting of a lounge, a bedroom, an office, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. One bathroom is connected to the lounge and the other to the bedroom.
Constitution
Article 106 of the constitution provides that each Provincial Assembly shall consist of general seats and seats reserved only for women and non Muslims. The same article specifies that the Provincial Assembly of Punjab will have a total of 371 seats: 297 general seats, 66 reserved for women, and eight reserved for non-Muslims. A seat reserved for Women: Constituency W-317 Constituency W-328 Constituency W-337 Constituency W-352 Constituency W-362
Qualification of members According to Article 113 of the Constitution, the qualifications for membership in the National Assembly set forth in Article 62 of the Constitution also apply for membership to the Provincial Assembly. Thus, a member of the Provincial Assembly: must be a citizen of Pakistan; must be at least twenty-five years of age and must be enrolled as a voter in any electoral roll in– any part of Pakistan, for election to a general seat or a seat reserved for non-Muslims; and any area in a Province from which the member seeks membership for election to a seat reserved for women. must be of good character and not commonly known as one who violates Islamic injunctions; must have adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings and practices obligatory duties prescribed by Islam as well as abstains from major sins; must be sagacious, righteous, non-profligate, and honest; must have never been convicted for a crime involving moral turpitude or for giving false evidence; must have never, after the establishment of Pakistan, worked against the integrity of the country or opposed the ideology of Pakistan. The disqualifications specified in paragraphs 3 and 4 do not apply to a person who is a non-Muslim, but such a person must have good moral reputation and possess other qualifications prescribed by an act of Parliament.
Disqualification of members The criteria for disqualification of members of a Provincial Assembly is established by Articles 63, 63A, 113 and 127. A person shall be disqualified from being elected or chosen as, and from being, a member of the Provincial Assembly if the member: is of unsound mind and has been so declared by a competent court; or is an undischarged insolvent; or ceases to be a citizen of Pakistan, or acquires the citizenship of a foreign state; or holds an office of profit in the service of Pakistan other than an office declared by law not to disqualify its holder; or is in the service of any statutory body of any body which is owned or controlled by the Government or in which the Government has a controlling share or interest; or is propagating any opinion, or acting in any manner, prejudicial to the Ideology of Pakistan, or the sovereignty, integrity or security of Pakistan, or morality, or the maintenance of public order, or the integrity or independence of the judiciary of Pakistan, or which defames or brings into ridicule the judiciary or the Armed Forces of Pakistan; or has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction on a charge of corrupt practice, moral turpitude or misuse of power or authority under any law for the time being in force; or he has been dismissed from the service of Pakistan or service of a corporation or office set up or controlled by the Provincial Government or a Local Government on the grounds of misconduct or moral turpitude; or has been removed or compulsorily retired from the service of Pakistan or service of a corporation or office set up or controlled by the Provincial Government or a Local Government on the grounds of misconduct or moral turpitude; or has been in the service of Pakistan or of any statutory body or any body which is owned or controlled by the Government or in which the Government has a controlling share or interest, unless a period of two years has elapsed since he ceased to be in such service; or is found guilty of a corrupt or illegal practice under any law for the time being in force, unless a period of five years has elapsed from the date on which that order takes effect; or has been convicted under section 7 of the Political Parties Act, 1962 (III of 1962), unless a period of five years has elapsed from the date of such conviction; or whether by himself or by any person or body of persons in trust for him or for his benefit or on his account or as a member of a Hindu undivided family, has any share or interest in a contract, not being a contract between a cooperative society and Government, for the supply of goods to, or for the execution of any contract or for the performance of any service undertaken by, Government.
Article 63A, which deals with disqualification on grounds of defection, was added to the Constitution in 1997. A member of a Parliamentary Party composed of a single political party defects if the member: resigns from membership of the political party or joins another Parliamentary Party; or votes or abstains from voting in the Provincial Assembly contrary to any direction issued by the Parliamentary Party to which the member belongs, in relations to election of the Chief Minister; or a vote of confidence or a vote of no-confidence; or a Money Bill.
Privileges of members Article 66 read with Article 127 confers freedom of speech on the members of the Provincial Assembly. No member is liable to any proceedings in any court of law in respect of anything said or any vote given by him in Assembly. Similarly no member is liable in respect of any publication which is published under the authority of Provincial Assembly.
However, Article 114 of the Constitution curtails this privilege and prohibits members from discussing conduct of judges of High Court and Supreme Court in the discharge of their duties.
First day proceedings in the Provincial Assembly (a) Oath of Members. –
After general elections, elected members in the first meeting take oath in the form set out in Third Schedule of the Constitution. Article 65 read with Article 127 states "A person elected to a House shall not sit or vote until he has made before the House oath in the form set out in the Third Schedule". Those members who have not taken oath in the first meeting take oath when they attend a meeting for the first time. The first meeting is presided by the outgoing Speaker. Article 53 (8) read with Article 127 says "the Speaker shall continue in his office till the person elected to fill the office by next Assembly enters upon his office." (b) Election and oath of Speaker and Deputy Speaker. – In addition to oath taking by the members, Provincial Assembly according to Article 108 to the exclusion of any other business, elect from among its members a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker. When office of Speaker or Deputy Speaker becomes vacant, in any way, the Assembly elects another member as Speaker or Deputy Speaker.
The elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker according to clause 2 of Article 53 read with Article 127 take oath before the House in the form set out in the Third Schedule.
Summoning and prorogation of Provincial Assemblies