LAHORE – In a major development, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan on Saturday suspended 26 opposition members for 15 sessions over ‘disruptive behavior’ [protest] during the speech of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
The PA speaker also announced that formal references against these lawmakers will be sent to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The speaker took action following scenes of ‘chaos’ in the assembly, where opposition members were accused of chanting slogans, scuffling, violating rules and tearing official documents. The Speaker said the conduct of these members constituted a clear breach of the decorum and rules of the house.
The suspended members included Malik Fahad Masood, Muhammad Tanveer Aslam, Syed Riffat Mahmood, Yasir Mahmood Qureshi, Kaleemullah Khan, Muhammad Ansar Iqbal, Ali Asif, Zulfiqar Ali, Ahmad Mujtaba Chaudhry, Shahid Javed, Muhammad Ismail, Khayal Ahmad, Shehbaz Ahmad, Tayyab Rasheed, Imtiaz Mehmood, Ali Imtiaz, Rashid Tufail, Rai Muhammad Murtaza, Khalid Zubair Nisar, Chaudhry Muhammad Ijaz Shafi, Saima Kanwal, Muhammad Naeem, Sajjad Ahmad, Rana Aurangzeb, Shoaib Ameer and Usama Asghar.
During a press conference held on Saturday, Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan stated, “I will be sending the references against these 26 members to the Election Commission today.” He stressed that maintaining the dignity and order of the assembly is a top priority.
“Every member has the right to protest but it must be exercised within the limits of the Constitution, the law and parliamentary rules. We will not allow anyone to hijack the system,” he said.
He further warned that if any member refuses to follow the rules, it is the Speaker’s responsibility to deny them entry into the assembly.
“You cannot come into the house and start throwing books at fellow members,” he added.
PA Speaker Malik Ahmed decries political factions wanting ‘instability’
