Crucial PA session adjourned till May 16
LAHORE: The much-anticipated session of the Punjab Assembly (PA) with a no-confidence motion — filed by the Pakistan Tehrik-e-insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-q PML-Q) members against Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari on the agenda — was adjourned till May 16 without voting on the resolution.
Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, who was supposed to convene the session, called it off, half an hour before it was supposed to begin.
“In exercise of the powers vested in me under rule 25(b) of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, 1997, I, Parvez Elahi, Speaker, Provincial Assembly of Punjab, hereby order that the next siting of the 40th Session of Punjab Assembly will now be held on Monday, May 16, 2022 at 11:30am in Assembly Chambers, Lahore, instead of Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 11:30am,” a notification said.
He told reporters that officials of the assembly were being “harassed” by police officers. “Some of them have been arrested while the police are raiding the houses of others,” he said.
The speaker said that during the previous session, members of the PTI and PML-Q suffered major injuries because of PML-N lawmakers. “One of our members is in ICU and is batling for her life.”
Elahi added that today’s session was postponed due to “these unforeseen circumstances.”
The voting was to be held through a secret ballot amid strict security arrangements. No lawmaker had been allowed to bring his/her mobile phone in the House. Women lawmakers had been barred from carrying their handbags on the floor, besides guests had also not been allowed to witness Thursday’s session.
On the other hand, PML-N parliamentary and PTI dissident lawmakers earlier held a joint meeting to chalk out a strategy for the session. Of the 197 votes Hamza Shahbaz polled to become the chief minister, 26 were from the PTI’S dissidents belonging to the Tareen, Aleem and Asad Khokhar groups.
“The PML-N, PPP and PTI’S dissident lawmakers have decided to support Mazari to foil the resolution against him,” a PML-N member said.
Meanwhile,ptihasapproachedthelahorehigh
Court (LHC) to stop these MPS from casting votes in the no-confidence resolution against Mazari.
In a petition, it contended that under Article 63-A(1)(b)(i) of the Constitution, lawmakers who go against directions issued by a parliamentary party, in relation with the elections of prime minister or chief minister, can be declared to have defected from the party by its chief.