Home Latest News Opposition Submits No-Confidence Motion against Pervaiz Elahi

Opposition Submits No-Confidence Motion against Pervaiz Elahi

by Staff Report

File photo of the Punjab Assembly

Resolution filed against Punjab Assembly speaker amidst ongoing delays to vote on new chief minister of the province

The joint opposition on Thursday submitted a no-confidence motion against Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi after the provincial assembly’s secretariat delayed the election for the chief minister from April 6 till April 16, reportedly over concerns that the government’s candidate will lose to the opposition.

Elahi, a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid), is running as the government’s candidate for chief minister with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s support against Hamza Shahbaz, who is representing the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and other opposition parties.

In recent days, several members of the PTI’s dissident groups, including those led by Aleem Khan and Jahangir Khan Tareen, have joined hands with the opposition and pledged to support Hamza. In a symbolic Punjab Assembly convened at a private hotel on Wednesday, the united opposition—and the dissident MPAs of PTI—voted to elected the PMLN leader as the chief minister of Punjab. He secured 199 votes against the 186 needed in the 371-member house.

Submitting the no-confidence motion to the Punjab Assembly Secretariat, PMLN MPAs Samiullah Khan, Khalil Tahir and Khawaja Salman Rafique said they were seeking Elahi’s ouster over his “illegal” actions in preventing the vote for chief minister. A day earlier, Elahi had sealed off the Punjab Assembly, barring the entry of lawmakers and media, with the Secretariat claiming that it was closed pending “renovations.” Following the submission of the no-trust motion, he cannot chair a session of the provincial assembly until it has been voted upon.

The same day, the PTI filed a no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari over his summoning of a session on April 6. Under the law, he can no longer chair a session of the Punjab Assembly.

The opposition, on Friday, approached the Lahore High Court to try and get the vote for chief minister moved up from April 16. However, it is unclear if they would be able to secure the same kind of relief that the Supreme Court provided to the National Assembly, which it restored after declaring Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s ruling to dismiss the vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Imran Khan against the Constitution.

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