LAHORE: A crucial session of the Punjab Assembly — with a no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari on the agenda— has been postponed till May 16 by Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
The provincial assembly session was convened to take up the no-confidence motion against the deputy speaker filed by PTI MPAs Basharat Raja, Ahmad Khan, Sibtain Khan and Murad Raas.
"In exercise of the powers vested in me under rule 25(b) of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, 1997, I, Parvez Elahi, Speaker, Provincial Assembly of Punjab, hereby order that the next sitting of the 40th Session of Punjab Assembly will now be held on Monday, 16th May 2022 at 11:30 am in Assembly Chambers, Lahore, instead of Thursday, 28th April 2022 at 11:30 am," read the notification issued by the speaker’s office, minutes before the start of the session, without giving any reason.
The sources, however, said that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi postponed the assembly session in view of "threats to the law and order situation.”
Meanwhile, the police have arrested Punjab Assembly Secretary Coordination Inayat Ullah Lak from outside the Governor House in Lahore.
Well-placed sources said that Inayat Ullah Lak was heading toward the Governor House when his location was traced by the police before taking him into custody. He has been arrested for three days under Section-3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, 1960.
He was arrested on the orders of DC Lahore.
In a statement, Malik Nauman Ahmad Langrial, a Tareen group leader, said that they would not participate in the voting process on the no-confidence motion against the deputy speaker.
186 votes are required for the removal of the deputy speaker, he said, adding that the no-trust motion will be considered unsuccessful if they failed to obtain the required number.
It is pertinent to mention here that PTI MPAs Basharat Raja, Ahmad Khan, Sibtain Khan and Murad Raas had submitted the no-trust resolution against the PA deputy speaker.
In the previous session on April 16, the provincial assembly witnessed unprecedented violence. Several lawmakers received injuries during the scuffle. PA Speaker Parvez Elahi and PTI MPA Asia Amjad were among the injured.
Amid boycott by PTI and PML-Q, the House, however, elected Hamza Shehbaz as chief minister.
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