Punjab Assembly speaker says he was not informed about ‘controversial’ habitual offenders bill

LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan on Sunday expressed surprise over the proposed ‘Punjab Control of Habitual Offenders Bill, 2026’, saying he had no knowledge of the legislation and questioning how it had reached a standing committee without his knowledge.

Speaking during a Punjab Assembly session, Khan reprimanded assembly secretariat staff, asking why he had not been informed that the bill had been introduced in the house. He also warned of strict action against those responsible for keeping him uninformed.

The bill, currently under discussion in the Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Home Affairs, has drawn criticism and protests from civil society groups and members of the public.

Questioning the legislative process, Khan said he had asked the assembly secretariat for clarification. He said that a bill should first be laid before the house before proceeding further, adding that he wanted to know how it could have reached the standing committee beforehand.

The speaker further questioned the procedure, asking: “When a bill is introduced in the house, isn’t the speaker supposed to be informed? Don’t I have to sign it before it is sent forward?”

The ‘Punjab Control of Habitual Offenders Bill, 2026’ was presented on the assembly floor on June 8 by Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Khalid Ranjha. Although Malik Ahmad Khan had initially been presiding over the sitting, the session was being chaired by a member of the panel of chairpersons, Iftikhar Ahmad Chhachhar, when the bill was formally introduced.

During the session, the speaker also reiterated his concerns over the conduct of treasury lawmakers during assembly proceedings, urging members to exercise restraint and maintain decorum.

“You end up disrupting your own proceedings, creating situations that become intolerable,” he said. “I request all honourable members to show some patience. We have all been part of this journey together for a long time.”

He added that whenever he attempted to advise members on maintaining order, he was accused of “delivering lectures”, after which the issue would become the subject of unnecessary debate on social media. These remarks came after earlier exchanges between the Punjab Assembly speaker and treasury members over procedural and parliamentary rules during discussions on the provincial budget for the next financial year.

The bill

The proposed ‘Punjab Control of Habitual Offenders Bill, 2026’ seeks to curb organised crime, public nuisance and financial and social exploitation through a new intelligence-led enforcement framework. It proposes provincial, divisional and district intelligence committees to monitor threats to public safety, minorities, foreigners and the misuse of social media.

The bill defines a wide range of anti-social activities, including operating gambling or liquor dens, running brothels, fraudulent charity collections, hate speech, online disinformation, impersonating public officials, aerial firing, displaying weapons on social media, online blackmail and creating illegal road barriers.

District intelligence committees would be empowered to conduct inquiries, require surety bonds and recommend measures such as blocking identity cards and passports, freezing bank accounts, removing online content and confiscating electronic devices.

Habitual offenders accused of repeatedly committing crimes such as robbery, extortion, vehicle theft or narcotics offences could be ordered by a magistrate to wear electronic tracking devices for at least three months. Tampering with the device would carry a mandatory prison term and a Rs1 million fine.

The bill also proposes a central registry containing offenders’ biometric and DNA records. All offences would be cognisable and non-bailable, with an appeals process leading to an independent tribunal. If enacted, it would replace colonial-era laws governing habitual offenders and ‘goondas’.