Punjab govt proposes shutting down Provincial Cooperative Bank over financial losses

The Punjab government has suggested shutting down the Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank, citing its financial inefficiency and burden on public funds.

According to a news report, the proposal was raised during a Punjab Assembly session where lawmakers discussed the fate of underperforming institutions.

During the session, PML-N MPA Amjad Ali Javed argued that the province could no longer sustain financially unviable institutions. Tasreury MPA Shehbaz Ali Khokhar also voiced concerns over administrative inefficiencies, highlighting long delays—sometimes up to ten months—in receiving responses to assembly queries.

The session, which started nearly four hours late, saw opposition members entering the House with placards demanding the release of PTI's founding chairman, Imran Khan. Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan instructed lawmakers to maintain decorum and refrain from displaying placards.

Following the completion of the agenda, Deputy Speaker Zaheer Iqbal Channer adjourned the session until March 14 at 2:00 pm. Meanwhile, the ruling PML-N submitted a resolution in the Punjab Assembly Secretariat, commending the armed forces for their operation near Bolan, Balochistan, in which security personnel rescued passengers from the Jaffar Express. 

The resolution, moved by PML-N MPA Uzma Kardar, acknowledged the military's efforts in ensuring public safety.