Assembly ruckus hits citizens' right to information: speaker

Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan has said that the uproar by the opposition and disorder during the budget session was an attack on the public's right to know how much money was being allocated for them.

Addressing the students of a university at Old Punjab Assembly Hall, he said books were always torn and thrown during budget speeches and there had been attempts to attack the speaker. Should such conduct not come to an end now? he asked.

He shared that during the budget session, the opposition had submitted 37 applications, 12 of which were merely meant to create noise and disruption.

He expressed his willingness to play a role in facilitating meaningful dialogue between the government and the opposition, adding that decisions based on justice and in line with the Constitution would guarantee the country's stability.

He said Article 63(2) of the Constitution clearly states that if a member violates the Constitution, the speaker has the authority to initiate action.

He stated that when members of the assembly make obscene gestures, use abusive language, or harass women, it becomes a constitutional duty of the speaker to take action against them.

He said 22 members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had requested National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to send a reference against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, but the allegations had been declared baseless. He said the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif was the worst judgment in the history of judiciary.

He emphasised that he was not against any political party but the protection of parliamentary values remained his foremost priority.

The Punjab Assembly speaker said he had provided representation to the opposition in standing committees, whereas former speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had not done so.