The insistence of the government to obtain a written commitment of the opposition to meet five key conditions, including rule 223 of the rules of the Assembly, threatens to derail the ongoing negotiations on the suspension of 26 MPa.
Sources said The express trustee that treasure banks are pressing for a documented guarantee. However, this demand has not been widely discussed among the legislators of Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI), many of whom are concerned about the recently released movement of the party. A final decision is expected during an upcoming meeting of the parliamentary party, but most legislators oppose any written guarantee to the negotiation committee.
The five conditions established by the Committee include: abstain from the lack of lack, slogaering, human rights violations, strict compliance with rule 223 of the Rules of Procedure of the Punjab Assembly (1997) and the provision of a documented commitment of the opposition.
Read: The Punjab speaker offers the opportunity to suspend his case
According to the sources, the opposition plans to persuade the committee to eliminate the demand for a written commitment. They see the condition as an attempt to enforce silence during Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz, something that the opposition has promised to resist. Several MPA argued that reiterating what is already coded in the rules is unnecessary.
The president of the Punjab Assembly, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, has repeatedly emphasized the requirement of a written guarantee, citing past failures of the opposition to honor verbal agreements.
The opposition is expected to argue that this approach reduces its right to protest in the Assembly a forum that they consider essential to express dissent, especially in the face of the alleged abuse of leaders and workers of PTI out of the house.
While the government focuses particularly on ensuring the guarantee against interruption during speeches, the opposition can reject or provide only a verbal commitment leaves room for possible infractions based on future circumstances.
However, a faction within PTI suggests that presenting a written guarantee, even temporarily, could help calm tensions and prevent President Khan initiating disqualification references with the Pakistan Electoral Commission (ECP).
The sources also pointed out that the responsibility of the chaos of the June 27 Assembly cannot rest only on PTI, since PML-N legislators were also involved in the fight that broke out during the speech of the main minister. PTI legislators have also denied access to CCTV images of the incident, they said.
According to reports, the speaker Khan is abroad for three weeks, but can preside over the next online session through Zoom. In informal conversations with the journalists, he acknowledged that he previously allowed the camera to remain “hostage” of clemency towards the opposition, a position that he now regrets.
“There is the right to protest, but also the right to speak and everyone must be heard with respect,” he said. “Enough is enough. Hooliganism will not be tolerated, which can.”
He clarified that he would not tolerate the murder of the character or prevent any member from talking. However, he drew a firm line against the behavior of the mafia, aggression and acts such as the launch of books labeling them completely unacceptable.
