File photo of the Punjab Assembly
Punjab Assembly sealed after PTI submits no-confidence motion against deputy speaker over his desire to conduct polling today rather than April 16
The election for the Chief Minister of Punjab, provoked by the resignation of outgoing C.M. Usman Buzdar, on Wednesday became controversial after the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) submitted a no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari over summoning a session to vote on the Leader of the House today (Wednesday), instead of April 16.
The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid)—which is allied with the PTI and is fielding incumbent Speaker Pervez Elahi as a joint candidate for chief minister—said Mazari was “no longer authorized” to summon a session after the submission of the no-trust motion. Mazari, per reports, has joined the PTI’s dissidents in the Punjab Assembly and is no longer supporting the party despite having won his provincial assembly seat on a PTI ticket.
Earlier, Mazari told local media that he was compelled to summon the session today, as the Punjab Advocate General had submitted before the Supreme Court that voting for the chief minister would take place on April 6. He said that he was ready to preside over the session, but the secretariat staff of the Punjab Assembly was not “cooperating” with him.
“I did not consult the Punjab government, PTI or the speaker. I summoned the Assembly session in light of the Supreme Court’s orders,” he told private broadcaster Geo News.
Following the submission of the no-confidence motion against the deputy speaker, the Assembly Secretariat sealed the Punjab Assembly, barring entry to lawmakers and journalists alike. The authorities have also erected barbed wire on the gates and walls, with local media saying the actions were undertaken at the orders of Speaker Pervez Elahi. The speaker also ordered the deployment of a heavy contingent of police outside the Assembly Secretariat to “avoid any untoward situation.”
Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Khawaja Saad Rafique, in a press conference outside the Punjab Assembly, said that the united opposition had decided to submit a no-confidence motion against Speaker Elahi in reaction to his refusal to allow the voting to take place. PMLN leader Hamza Shahbaz told media it was “unfortunate” that Elahi’s desire to remain in power had compelled him to take such unconstitutional steps to prevent the vote for chief minister. “The situation is worsening by the hour and the Supreme Court needs to issue a ruling on the dissolution of the National Assembly to help the country return to stability,” he added.
A spokesperson for Elahi said that the session would occur on April 16, as had already been notified a day earlier. However, deputy speaker Mazari maintains that his subsequent notification has cancelled the previous one and the session should proceed today.
The Punjab Assembly was set to vote on a new chief minister—PMLQ’s Elahi or PMLN’s Hamza Shahbaz—on Sunday, but the session was adjourned until April 6 over a minor argument that broke out between rival MPAs. On Tuesday, the advocate general of Punjab assured the Supreme Court that the provincial assembly would conduct a session on April 6 for voting as per the Constitution.
Within hours of this declaration, the provincial assembly session was postponed until April 16, ostensibly to repair damages that occurred on April 3.
Both candidates need at least 186 votes in the house of 371 to win the slot of Punjab chief minister. While the exact numbers are unconfirmed, the PMLN claims to have the support of over 30 members of the government in addition to the 160 members of the united opposition, giving it a comfortable lead over Elahi. The PMLQ, however, maintains that it would win the poll.