LAHORE:
The president of the Punjab Assembly, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, has ordered a legal team that prepares a reference draft for consultation, before potentially presenting the Pakistan Electoral Commission (ECP) to seek the deactivation of 26 MPA of PTI suspended on its alleged pertinal conduct, abusive and disorderly in the Chamber.
The directive occurred during a meeting between the speaker and the legal experts, after an initial determination that a reference could be submitted based on the requests presented by the PML-N legislators, urging the speaker’s office to take measures against the suspended members.
After detailed deliberations, it was decided to continue with the reference. A subsequent meeting was held in which the legal advisors helped the speaker, who then formally commissioned them to write the appropriate reference that will be presented to the ECP.
It is worth noting that the protest has historically been a recognized characteristic of parliamentary procedures.
Opposition legislators are often participating in burning exchanges, which hit the desk, the song of the slogan, destroying agenda documents or budgetary documents and maintain banners high.
However, the situation in the current Punjab assembly has taken a more punitive turn. Treasury banks, which had long tolerated such demonstrations, began to demand restriction, particularly during the directions of Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz, urging the opposition to protest peacefully without interrupting the procedures.
In spite of the occasional cooperation of the opposition, including refraining from interrupting the house remaining sitting instead of crowding the sperand of the speaker, the members of the PTI intensified their protests during the discourse of CM on June 27.
His conduct seemed even more aggressive, according to reports in response to the ruling of the Supreme Court in reserved seats.
The protest quickly became a fight between treasure legislators and opposition. Despite President Khan’s repeated efforts to pacify the situation, the order could not be restored.
Consequently, the same day, invoke rule 210 (3) of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab (1997), the speaker suspended 26 MPa of PTI.
In a greater adjustment of the disciplinary measures, on June 28, the speaker directed that RS2,035,000 in damages will be recovered from 10 MPA of PTI, approximately RS203,550 each, to rise to desks and break eight microphones during his protest on June 16, when the provincial budget was presented.
Previously, the speaker had ordered PTI Mpa Hassan Malik (PP-81) to be forbidden to attend the assembly until the end of the current session for launching a copy of the budget discourse in the Minister of Finance, Shujaur Rehman Mujtaba.
On June 24, President Khan issued a ruling by emphasizing the importance of decorum. “I emphasize all members, regardless of their political affiliation, to preserve the decorum, defend the dignity of this August Assembly and ensure that parliamentary procedures continue without interruptions,” said the speaker.
