The Punjab Assembly remained the focus of public attention throughout the past year as the PTI and PML-N continued to be at loggerheads for the province’s control.
There were rapid, unexpected political developments with the pendulum of dominance swinging between both the major parties.
The people of the province saw three chief ministers, symbolic and parallel assembly sessions, votes of confidence and no-trust motions, and even scuffles during the elections of the leader of the house, speaker and deputy speaker.
Both parties, when their lawmakers sat on the opposition benches, accused each other of failing to provide any relief to the poor people. They also traded accusations of not running the assembly in accordance with the rules during legislation.
Ruckus, pandemonium, fiery arguments and even a ban on some lawmakers’ entrance took place.
The political temperature rose after a requisition was filed by PML-N and PPP lawmakers to then speaker Pervaiz Elahi to summon an assembly session to take up a no-confidence motion against sitting chief minister Sardar Usman Buzdar.
The confrontation aggravated when Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari was beaten up over his alleged support to opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz Sharif in the election of chief minister.
Two no trust motions from the PML-N against the speaker and from the PTI against the deputy speaker landed in the assembly.
Finally, Mazari and the PML-N lawmakers were not allowed to enter the assembly by the speaker, Pervaiz Elahi.
In another twist, the opposition lawmakers convened a symbolic session and elected PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz as chief minister. PPP lawmaker Shazia Abid presided over the meeting in a hotel.
After that, Hamza Shehbaz requested the LHC to order the election of the chief minister, compiling that assembly sessions were being adjourned without the voting. The LHC allowed the petition, directing Mazari to preside over the proceedings.
Meanwhile, the PTI and PML-Q alleged that the PML-N had made some of their members hostage in a hotel for getting their support in the CM’s election.
Hamza elected
On April 16, Hamza Shehbaz, with the help of dissident MPAs from across the aisle, was elected chief minister by securing 197 votes after an hours-long melee in the assembly where PTI and PML-Q MPAs and police personnel came to blows after intervals.
Heavy police contingents were summoned to control the situation but in vain. The deputy speaker, Mazari, conducted the election from the officials’ gallery.
Hamza Shehbaz approached the LHC for the third time, complaining that the governor was not administering the oath to him.
LHC Justice Jawad Hassan directed National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf to administer the oath on April 30.
Earlier, LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti had issued two orders advising the president to nominate anyone for administering the oath and the governor to ensure administration of the oath, but in vain.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, on a presidential reference seeking interpretation of Article 63-A of the Constitution about the status of defecting lawmakers, declared that their votes of should not be counted.
After accepting the PTI and PML-Q’s pleas, the LHC on June 30 directed the presiding officer to recount the votes polled for electing the chief minister on April 16, excluding the 25 defecting members.
The PTI and PML-Q challenged the order in the Supreme Court, which fixed July 22 for the recounting and a second poll, if required
After a nail-biting climax, the PML-N won a dramatic victory against the PTI. This time the the deputy speaker waved a letter claiming that PML-Q head Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had instructed his MPAs to vote for the PML-N candidate but they had not done so, as a result of which their votes would not be counted.
On June 15, the PML-N’s provincial government presented its annual budge in Aiwan-e-Iqbal. On the other hand, the opposition held its own session of the legislature at the Punjab Assembly.
Later, the Supreme Court held that Hamza Shehbaz would remain as a ‘trustee’ chief minister till the next hearing of a case.
Meanwhile, the PTI won 15 out of 20 seats in by-polls held in the province.
On the other hand, the SC’s decision came in favor of Elahi on his plea against Mazari’s ruling.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2023.
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