LAHORE:
The speaker of the Punjab Assembly, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, wants the opposition inside to provide a written guarantee of strict compliance with several conditions, firmly including the rules of procedure.
In statements to journalists, the speaker, who is apparently under pressure to send disqualification references against Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) 26 MPA suspended, cited constitutional motifs for moving.
He said he had let the house be hostage and favored the opposition, but this would not happen now. He accused the opposition of misuse of his destitution.
“The opposition will have to strictly implement rule 223 of the procedure rules and there will be no commitment in abusive, humiliating and violent behavior,” he made clear.
The speaker said that little noise had been raised during the speeches of the camera leaders in the past, but no one had used the derogatory, inhuman, immoral and disrespectful language pronounced by PTI legislators during the recent speech of Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz.
“If there is a right of protest, then there is also a right to speak in which everyone must be heard respectfully,” he said.
“It is enough, hooliganism will not be tolerated now, what you can,” said President Khan.
He said that the opposition had retreated on his commitments before and that is why he required the commitment to meet the black and white conditions.
The speaker said he wanted to direct the house without problems, where each member, including women, could express their views without interruption. “There are some democratic norms that should be followed by the opposition when respecting others if they want respect for themselves,” he added.
He said that article 63 (2) of the Constitution establishes that it is the speaker who decides if a question arises regarding the disqualification of a member. If the speaker does not make a decision within 30 days, the matter automatically refers to the Pakistan Electoral Commission (ECP).
He said he had received three requests from Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, Ahmad Iqbal and Iftikhar Chacha, which were not references but constitutional applications that must be decided strictly according to the Constitution.
Malik Muhammad Ahmad recalled that in 2017, 22 MNA of PTI had approached President Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, demanding actions under article 63 (2) based on a statement by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. When the matter was not resolved within 30 days, the Supreme Court received a warning of Suo Motu, which was constitutionally controversial, he added.
He said he had encouraged both the government and the opposition to resolve matters through dialogue. The discussions remained in five key points, with both parties in accordance with the fact that the lack language, sloganing and human rights violations would be unacceptable in the Chamber, and that the Constitution must be completely respected, he added.
The speaker said there had never been chaos in the house during the speech of a main minister. While the opposition has the constitutional right to protest, it is also important to maintain parliamentary norms and holiness of the chamber.
He reiterated that he does not believe in the murder of characters or the humiliation of any member, nor will he prevent anyone from talking. However, the behavior of the mafia, aggressive behavior and acts such as launching books are unacceptable.
He said that the speaker of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assembly had sent him a letter about the suspension of the members of the opposition, to which a detailed response would be sent together with constitutional interpretations.
The speaker of the Punjab Assembly said that his goal is not to undermine anyone but protect the holiness of the chamber while remains within the constitutional framework.
He said that a decision would be made soon, and what would be decided would be documented and agreed by both the government and the opposition to guarantee a more conducive atmosphere in the Chamber to advance.
