The process of voting for appointment of the chief ministers of Punjab began in the provincial assembly on Saturday, as the police were able to control the chambers following a row between lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) attacked the speaker in charge, Dost Muhammad Mazari, which forced him to withdraw to his chambers.
The lawmakers of the government were violent and were been warned to not let Mazari to preside over the session to vote to the position of chief minister for Punjab.
The PMLQ also devised an approach to stop the activities of the assembly, which resulted in the intervention by the police to ease the procedure.
The police attempted to gain entry into the hall, lawmakers clashed with the law enforcement officers and eventually forced police officers out of the room. In the second attempt, despite significant resistance, a large force of police was able to get into the hall and control the situation.
While the police were in their control over the assembly, they took PA Speaker Pervaiz Elahi out of the assembly hall. Members of the PTI and PML-Q However, they protested against the police as they tried to prevent them from taking Elahi from the hall.
A fight occurred among the PML-N and Treasury MPAs when the former backed the police’s decision to expel Elahi from the home, while the latter intervened in order to stop the action.
The day before, PTI and PML-Q lawmakers have slammed Punjab Assembly acting speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari upon his arrival in the House to lead the PA session that is being held to select the chief minister.
The PTI lawmakers who were carrying lotsas (round containers for water) brutally beaten Mazari prior to the security personnel of the assembly led Mazari back to his room in custody.
Mazari was said to have sustained minor injuries due to the PTI MPA’s attack.
The PTI lawmakers declared that they would not allow Mazari be the speaker of the PA session, and they would take to a stern protest should the deputy speaker attempt to chair the session.
Elahi blames police
Following the fight which left the acting speaker wounded, Elahi met members of the international and local media in his home inside his chamber in the Punjab Assembly to clear his decision on the matter.
The scuffle was blamed on the police forces who were accompanying Mazari to cause a disturbance in the House by accusing members of the government. The female lawmakers walked up to the podium to Mazari in an attempt to “convince” Mazari, but they were attacked by the police forces that were accompanied by the speaker in charge, Elahi claimed.
He also said that there was a disagreement between the PML-Q and PTI were not able to accept Mazari as acting speaker, despite court’s directives. A Lahore High Court’s (LHC) determination to name Mazari as temporary speaker “usurped my authority” the PA speaker claimed in his protest against the decision.
Elahi told the House that it will also introduce the privilege motion which carries a maximum penalty of three months to the Punjab Police chief over the allegations of assault on female MPAs by police officers.
Mazari vows transparency
Just hours prior to the election to the Punjab chief minister post, Mazari had assured that the elections of the CM post will be conducted at all cost and that nobody will be allowed to interfere with the election.
“I am a person who is not willing to accept pressure,” said Mazari, noting, “The election will be conducted today and the purpose of the day is today.”
In response to the comments that were made by the PML-Q’s Pervaiz Elahi, the acting speaker said that he did not want to get into specifics, but he took an swearing oath to ensure fair and transparent election, and would stand by that.
“Those who would like to disrupt the process won’t be allowed to disrupt it at all costs,” Mazari added. “If I’m biased, why did I allow the international media and observers to observe the voting on the CM election?” Mazari asked.
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In the past, Elahi, who is running for CM elections against PMLN’s Hamza Shehbaz, expressed apprehensions regarding the fairness of Mazari’s CM election. “The conditions that led to the election don’t appear to be very promising,” said Elahi, noting that the election will show how unjust Mazari will turn out to be.
In the meantime, former chief Minister Usman Buzdar said the PTI will prevail in the vote for the post of CM.
‘Remove jammers’
The statement issued, PMLN Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb stated that the jammers were installed on the gallery for the media in the Punjab Assembly to stop the media from covering election results. CM election.
She demanded the immediate removal of these jammers, stating that these small-scale tricks should be ended. Marriyum stated that the motive behind the jammers’ installation was to hide “whatever they were planning to conceal” at Parliament. Punjab Assembly.
She explained that during the session prior to the election of the CM media, they were exiled from the assembly. this time , the jammers were installed to block journalists from covering the elections.
The PML-N leader has said that exactly like in the case of the PTI government was exiled out of in the National Assembly, the Punjab government will be sent home, too.
MPAs have arrived at PA
The lawmakers from the PML-N, as well as the MPAs that are dissident to the PTI have been to the Punjab Assembly in buses led by the PML-N Punjab president Hamza Shehbaz. PML-N Leader Ata Tarrar claimed that the PML-N was supported by the 198 legislators, including Kh Salman Rafique whose production order has yet to be issued.
It is likely that the session is not going to be peaceful because certain PTI lawmakers who arrived to the PA to take part in the session to vote for the CM might be seen with placards too.
CMC election
The Punjab Assembly is all set to conduct the election of the provincial chief minister today , following it was announced that the Lahore High Court (LHC) denied an appeal in the court of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. He was looking for a member of the chairpersons’ panel to take over the election instead of the Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari.
The division bench ruled by Justice Shujaat Ali Khan and comprised of Justice Jawad Hazran, upheld LHC chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Batti’s ruling to allow Mazari to run the election for chief minister that is scheduled today.
This was not the first time Punjab Assembly Speaker Elahi and the assembly secretariat were unsuccessful in an appeal in court against the Deputy Speaker Mazari.
Prior to that the The Chief Justice Bhatti had ordered Mazari to be the speaker for the election of the Chief Justice in accordance with paragraph (3) in Article 130 of the Constitution. The order was based upon Mazari’s request to appoint Speaker Elahi who, according to him, had removed his authority as acting speaker.
When CJ Bhatti’s orders came in the CJ Bhatti’s order was followed by Speaker Elahi and the secretariat of the assembly opposed the decision. The LHC division bench was able to hear the matter in depth.
