Elahi moves SC against police deployment in Punjab Assembly

PML-Q leader claims Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari intends to interfere in the CM election process

ISLAMABAD:

Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Friday approached the Supreme Court against the deployment of the inspector general of police (IGP) in the house during the CM elections today.

The PML-Q leader, who is also the chief ministerial candidate, moved the court against the deputy speaker’s letter to the IGP and chief secretary regarding the deployment of security forces within the house as well as within precincts of the assembly.

In his petition, Elahi claimed that Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari intends to interfere in the election process and that his letter to deploy security in the Punjab Assembly shows ill intentions.

He maintained that the IG Punjab should be stopped from entering the provincial assembly.

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Elahi also requested that the sergeant at arms be ordered to provide the required security and that his request against the deputy speaker's letter be scheduled for hearing today.

The deputy speaker has also been issued a legal notice for seeking deployment of the Punjab police in the assembly.

A Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA sent a legal notice to Mazari wherein he claimed that his letter seeking police deployment “is an insult to the decision made by the Supreme Court.”

It furthered that the Lahore High Court had also ordered the police to be deployed outside the assembly.

“Your letter seeking police deployment inside the house is an attempt to recreate the events of April 16,” claimed the PTI MPA, adding that the letter falls under the category of contempt of court and should be withdrawn.

Separately, the PML-Q met under the chairmanship of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to discuss the CM election being held today.

During the meeting, Elahi said that the government should abide by the orders of the SC, otherwise the law will take its course.

“On July 22, democracy and Imran Khan will be successful,” he said, adding that all of PML-N’s conspiracies to sabotage the election will be stopped, and “they will fail miserably.”