Islamabad: The Punjab Assembly’s secretariat on Tuesday delayed for 10 more days a crucial session to elect a new Chief Minister that was originally scheduled for April 6. The session now will take place on April 16.
Interestingly, the decision came minutes after the Advocate General of Punjab gave assurance in the Supreme Court of Pakistan that the Punjab Assembly session would take place on April 6 as per schedule and the members would exercise their right of vote to elect the new chief minister of the country’s largest province, with a population of 120 million.
Earlier, too, the Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Assembly had adjourned the session on April 3 after the house met for only six minutes.
The Assembly Secretariat, while referring to the brawl that broke out between the women lawmakers of the ruling and the rival parties last Sunday causing damage to the furniture, notified the session would now be held on April 16 after renovation and maintenance work is completed.
Immediately, after the decision was made public, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’ (PML-N) leader and the opposition parties’ joint candidate Hamza Shahbaz Sharif in a press conference lambasted his rival candidate Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, who according to him was behind the delay.
Elahi, after forseeing an imminent defeat in the vote, got the assembly session delayed, alleged Hamza Shahbaz.
Elahi is the senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) which is allied to the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and has 10 members in the Punjab Assembly. He is the joint candidate of the ruling coalition for the chief minister’s office.
Opposition to move SC against delay
Hamza Shahbaz said his party and allies would move a petition in the Supreme Court against the ‘blatant violation of the constitution and law.’
How can you go against your own commitment in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, asked Hamza Shahbaz adding Imran Khan was repeating the same ‘dirty game’ in the Punjab that he had played at the centre.
“I will arrive at the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday along with my members as per schedule to prove we have a clear majority,” he said. “We had a majority on April 3 and we shall have a majority on April 6 as well,” he said.
Hamza claims support of 200 MPAs
A day earlier, Hamza in a show of strength, had brought 200 MPAs to a dinner conveying a clear message to his rivals that he had the majority vote in the assembly.
In order to become Chief Minister of the province, 186 votes are required.
After the scuffle between the female lawmakers last Sunday, the Deputy Speaker of the assembly had hinted at suspending the membership of around 40 ‘rowdy’ lawmakers for causing damage to the assembly’s furniture.
The PML-N counsel Azam Tarar brought the matter of the MPA’s suspension to the Supreme Court’s notice on Tuesday but the court said it would look into the matter once the voting for chief minister is held.
Opposition cries foul
Hamza Shahbaz also slammed the Deputy Speaker’s alleged plan of suspending membership of a number of MPAs hailing from the PML-N a day before the election for chief minister’s slot.
Any such attempt to manipulate the assembly’s election would have severe consequences, he warned.
The PML-N leader warned that according to the Supreme Court’s directives, no lawmaker could be stopped from casting his/her vote. “I ask Pervaiz Elahi to compete with us fairly, and if he wins through votes, we will accept it.”
The top slot in the province lies vacant after Chief Minister Usman Buzdar tendered his resignation when an agreement was reached between the PTI and its allied party the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), according to which all the 183 MPAs of the PTI would cast their vote for the Elahi whose party has 10 votes in the house.
However, the decision to field Elahi as joint candidate has cost the ruling coalition support of a large number of MPAs who, aghast at the total ‘surrender’ before a 10-member party, announced they will vote for Hamza Shahbaz,instead of Pervaiz Elahi.
The main figure leading one of the dissident groups is Aleem Khan, the former close aide of the Prime Minister. Aleem Khan who is leading a group of dissident MPAs of the PTI, a day earlier, at a press conference slammed Prime Minister Imran Khan for being ‘dishonest’ and ‘insincere’ to the nation.
Similarly, another former confidante of Imran Khan Jahangir Khan Tareen is also leading a group of MPAs who would vote against the government’s candidate in Wednesday’s election for the office of chief minister. Both the leaders of their groups would vote for Hamza Shahbaz Sharif as new chief minister of the province.
