Lahore (HRNW)- Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman presented the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 in the Punjab Assembly amid strong protests by opposition members, while the government approved a 7 percent increase in salaries and a 3.5 percent increase in pensions for provincial employees.
The budget session of the Punjab Assembly began with a delay of one hour and forty minutes under the chairmanship of Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan. The proceedings commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran, Naat-e-Rasool-e-Maqbool ﷺ, and the national anthem. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was also present in the house.
As the session began, opposition members staged a vigorous protest, chanting slogans demanding the release of PTI founder Imran Khan. The opposition continued its protest during the Finance Minister’s budget speech, raising slogans of “Fake Budget Rejected” and gathering near the Speaker’s dais.
Despite the government’s paperless session initiative, opposition lawmakers brought papers into the assembly and tore them during the speech, throwing them across the house and creating a noisy and tense atmosphere.
Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired an important provincial cabinet meeting where the budget proposals for the new fiscal year were reviewed and approved for presentation in the assembly. The cabinet discussed financial targets, revenue measures, development spending, and proposals related to salaries and pensions.
According to official proposals, the government approved a 7 percent increase in salaries and a 3.5 percent increase in pensions for provincial employees. The cabinet also proposed a 25 percent increase in the Board of Revenue’s targets and a 77 percent increase in targets for the Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department. Overall, Punjab’s own revenue targets have been increased by 42.7 percent.
During the 35th meeting of the provincial cabinet, a special resolution regarding the Iran-US agreement was also passed.
The government has proposed a development budget of Rs 752 billion for FY 2026-27, compared to Rs 1.24 trillion approved in the previous fiscal year, reflecting a reduction of Rs 488 billion. The number of development projects has also been reduced from 5,755 last year to 3,560 this year, while new projects have declined from 1,662 to 420.
The proposed budget reflects the government’s focus on completing ongoing development schemes while controlling expenditures and increasing provincial revenue collection.
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