Punjab PA crisis deepens: Speaker, deputy row over session

LAHORE: Political and constitutional crisis in Punjab worsened on Wednesday after Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Khan Mazari came face to face, with the former barring the latter from holding the provincial assembly session in the evening by installing barbed wires and locking the assembly gates.

The Punjab Assembly Secretariat, on the directions of Ch Pervaiz Elahi, did not allow Sardar Mazari to conduct the Assembly session he had called for Wednesday at 7:30pm, in accordance with the assurance given to the Supreme Court of Pakistan by the Punjab advocate general.

Upon the orders of Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, the Assembly Secretariat even disallowed entry to all members of the Punjab Assembly (MPAs), which created a violent situation outside the building, where the opposition members raised slogans against the speaker and staged a sit-in.

Talking to The News, Sardar Mazari said he had called the session in line with the assurance, given to the SC by the Punjab advocate general, as a constitutional requirement. “I did not consult the Punjab government, the PTI or the speaker. I summoned the Assembly session in the light of the Supreme Court orders,” he said adding that the assembly secretariat was not cooperating with him.

Political situation became very tense in Punjab when the deputy speaker summoned the session on Wednesday, April 6, instead of April 16. After observing situation, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PIT) filed a no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari. The no-confidence motion was moved by the PTI under Article 53-7-C and Article 127. The PTI, while filing the motion, said that the deputy speaker, with the issuance of orders for Wednesday session, violated the Constitution.

“The affairs of the House, under the supervision of the deputy speaker, were not being conducted in accordance with the Constitution,” said the motion. Following the submission of the motion, Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PMLQ) said that Deputy Speaker Mazari was “no longer authorised” to summon a session.

The joint opposition had also decided to file a no-confidence motion against Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, who is a candidate for Punjab chief minister-ship. When the opposition leaders reached the Punjab Assembly, its gates had already been closed. Neither the MPAs nor the media persons were allowed to enter the assembly building to submit the no-confidence resolution. All gates were closed and a heavy contingent of police was deployed at the gates.

Hundreds of people hailing from district Gujrat were also present outside the Punjab Assembly to express their support to Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. The MPAs from the opposition were sitting outside the gate.

Talking to The News, Khwaja Salman Rafique said that Ch Pervaiz Elahi was doing it all illegally. He said Pervaiz Elahi was a candidate for Chief Minister-ship and he did not have the powers of a speaker now. He could not order closure of the assembly doors. He said now all powers of speaker lie with the deputy speaker.

Opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz said Pervaiz Elahi had “become blind in the lust for power”. He said that the PTI had staged a “drama” in the country.

Earlier Punjab Assembly Speaker Ch Pervaiz Elahi withdrew the speaker’s powers, delegated to the deputy speaker. The Punjab Assembly Secretariat also issued a notification in this regard, stating that the powers of the deputy speaker had been withdrawn in accordance with the rules of the Punjab Assembly. The text of the notification stated that the powers were being withdrawn on the direction of the Speaker Punjab Assembly and a copy of the notification had also been sent to all agencies concerned.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Punjab Assembly said that a meeting of Punjab Assembly would be held on April 16 at 11:30am, under the notification issued on April 5 at 11:30am.

The spokesperson said a fake order of the meeting, convening session on April 6 at 7:30pm with the signature of Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari Tuesday night, had been scrutinised by the Assembly Secretariat carefully. After deliberations, the Assembly Secretariat came to the conclusion that no diary number was given on the fake order, which is required for such important documents. This order has not been drafted by the Legislative Department of the Punjab Assembly.

It is a responsibility of the Legislative Department to prepare such an official document and that this order was neither prepared nor issued by the Assembly Secretariat, he said adding Rules for Discipline of the Punjab Assembly powers, vested in Rule 28 of 1997, the Secretary to the Assembly issued the Assembly business to the agenda of the Assembly session on the recommendation of the Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs.

He said the order issued by the deputy speaker was against the rules and regulations of the Assembly. It was clear that the order under discussion was prepared outside the Assembly Secretariat. In such a situation, it has been decided that the powers conferred on the Deputy Speaker under Rule 25 of the Rules of Procedure 1997 be withdrawn and a notification has been issued in this regard.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Punjab Sardar Dost Mazari, while talking to the media, said that he would follow the rules. He said he respected Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and he should realise this and direct the assembly staff to obey the orders of deputy speaker.

He admitted that currently there was a crisis situation in the province and invited the Supreme Court to take notice of the constitutional crisis. To a question, he said no meeting could be convened till notification was issued from Punjab Assembly, but the Assembly Secretariat was taking unconstitutional and illegal steps in making the notification. The forces that were doing this were in front of everyone, he said adding he would act according to the law.

He said since Pervaiz Elahi himself was the chief ministerial candidate, and he has the powers of the Speaker currently. “My office staff is also being pressured and a no-confidence motion was tabled against me,” he stated.

The ruling coalition got into trouble by presenting a no-confidence motion against the Deputy Speaker as after Tareen, Abdul Aleem Khan and Khokhar, a group of Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari also came into being.

Several PTI members expressed their anger over filing of no-confidence motion against Dost Muhammad Mazari, sources said and claimed that 12 to 15 members of the PTI had already agreed to form Mazari group, which was likely to support the opposition candidate.

Later on Wednesday early night, Opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz got 199 votes as the symbolic chief minister Punjab in a meeting, held at a local hotel. After sealing of the Punjab Assembly building with barbed wire, the united opposition held the meeting at a local hotel. PMLN Central Vice President Maryam Nawaz also reached the venue to express solidarity with Hamza Shehbaz. After voting, she hugged Hamza and congratulated him on being elected the symbolic Punjab chief minister.

Earlier, the united opposition took all the PTI dissident MPAs from one hotel to another nearby hotel for the meeting in strict security. Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari was also present in the meeting. Members of the PMLN, Aleem Khan Group, Tareen Group and Chhina Group also arrived at the hotel. Aun Chaudhry of Tareen Group, while talking to the media, said that Jahangir Tareen would reach Pakistan in two, three days.

Maryam and Hamza boarded a bus to show solidarity with the Punjab Assembly members and during their short journey to the local hotel, Maryam continued to respond to the workers’ slogans.

PMLN members Bilal Yasin, Khwaja Imran Nazir, Rana Mashhood, Ghazali Butt, Rana Muhammad Iqbal, Mian Margoob Ahmed, Mian Mujtaba Shuja, Manshaullah Butt, Khalil Tahir Sindhu and Malik Nadeem Kamran also attended the meeting.

“This is not a symbolic session but a constitutional and legal one,” said Maryam Nawaz while talking to the media and added that today Nawaz Sharif took revenge for stealing public mandate. She thanked Jahangir Tareen, Abdul Aleem, Asad Khokhar Group and others for attending the session and posing their confidence in Hamza Shehbaz as the CM Punjab.

“With your support, the people of the province got rid of this illegitimate government. These are the thieves who have stolen flour, sugar, medicine, electricity, gas and development of Punjab,” she said.

Maryam said all development had taken place in Farah Khan's village. Everyone knows who she was commissioning, and when the time came for accountability, she was helped to escape abroad. She said complete evidence of Farah Khan's corruption would come to light very soon and that will shock the people.

About today’s situation at Punjab Assembly, she said today all heads bowed in shame that the Punjab Assembly was locked due to which the PMLN had to hold a meeting at a private hotel. “Who locks the assembly? Who runs away from the field?” she questioned and said today the politics of Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi was ended in shame. Addressing Pervaiz Elahi, she said you locked the assembly and blocked the media because you have lost this war.

“Imran Khan has won the title of the first civilian dictator in the history of Pakistan,” Maryum said and added that Imran Khan violated the Constitution of Pakistan in broad daylight and the entire nation has seen that.

She asked the people of Punjab to stand up for their rights. “I want to tell the people of Punjab to stand up and come out against this government. There is no electricity or gas during Sehri and Iftari. Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif worked day and night to end the darkness from the country by installing a number of power projects,” she stated.

The incompetent government has punished the people of Punjab for their love for Nawaz Sharif, she said and added that she would stand for the assemblies of all provinces. Maryum Nawaz alleged that Imran Khan himself was the mastermind of an international conspiracy. She said she wanted to tell the people of Punjab that if they wanted motorways, new hospitals, playgrounds, schools, universities and jobs then support Nawaz Sharif.

Maryam said the political future of Imran Khan and the PTI was over now. She said Pervaiz Elahi should not be part of their crimes. Maryam said in her Twitter message that the political future of Imran Khan and the PTI was over and all tactics of Imran Khan would not last long. She said that it was incomprehensible that why would a politician play a losing game?