Punjab PA seeks CEC’s removal

Opposition members boycott session after noisy protest

LAHORE:

Amid strong protest by the opposition lawmakers, the Punjab Assembly on Saturday passed with majority vote a resolution demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and criticising the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision of disqualifying former prime minister Imran Khan.

The resolution was presented by former chief minister Sardar Usman Buzdar.

As he started reading the resolution, the opposition lawmakers carrying placards and blowing whistles assembled in front of Speaker Sibtain Khan’s dais. However, PPP’s lawmakers Syed Ali Haider Gilani and Syed Usman Mehmood seemed reluctant in participating the protest.

The PML-’s lawmakers chanted slogans against Imran Khan and continued blowing whistles in defiance of orders of the speaker.

The PTI lawmakers, including Parliamentary Affairs Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja requested the PML-N members to assemble in front of the opposition benches rather than the treasury ones. They said the opposition members were standing between the speaker and the PTI lawmakers who were sharing their views over the ECP decision.

PML-N’s Malik Muhammad Waheed danced despite jeering by PTI’s Fayazul Hassan Chohan who also accused the lawmakers blowing whistles of trying to protect their leader’s corruption through different tactics.

Irrigation Minister Muhammad Hashim Dogar demanded that the speaker either take strict action or pass a ruling against the opposition lawmakers blowing whistles. He said that if the “whistling culture” was not buried forever, the opposition might bring musical bands to the assembly. Speaker Sibtain Khan said there was no doubt that such a culture should be discouraged.

He advised the treasury benches to present a resolution on the issue to avoid such ‘immature’ culture.

Senior Minister Mian Muhammad Aslam Iqbal lashed out at the Sharif family, accusing its members of resorting to lying to protecting ‘looted money’.

The senior minister’s remarks flared tempers in the house with PTI lawmakers thumping the desks and the PML-N members shouting simultaneously.

Iqbal said Imran Khan had the support of the nation and the dream of the opposition parties against him would not come true through ‘cowardly moves’.

The Opposition lawmakers pointed out the quorum twice but their move proved futile as the treasury benches had the sufficient number to run the proceedings.

At one point, the speaker directed PML-N’s senior politician Rana Muhammad Iqbal to share his views but he declined to speak.

His party’s Sami Ullah Khan sought permission to speak but the speaker did not allow him, prompting the opposition to boycott the proceedings. After completing the agenda items, the speaker adjourned the house sine die.

The resolution adopted by the assembly demanded the removal of the chief election commissioner with a proposal to appoint an impartial personality on the key slot

It stated that the results of the October 16 by-elections had proved that the PTI chairman was a symbol of federation. The house rejected conspiracies through which the leader of the country’s largest party had been disqualified, it added.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2022.