PTI submits no-trust motion against Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Dost Muhammad Mazari

• PML-Q says Deputy Speaker of Punjab Assembly Dost Muhammad Mazari no longer authorised to summon session.
• Deputy Speaker of Punjab Assembly Dost Muhammad Mazari says he has summoned Assembly on Supreme Court's orders.
• Sources say secretary of Assembly has refused to follow deputy speaker's orders of summoning session today.

LAHORE: The crisis in the Punjab Assembly deepened on Wednesday after the PTI filed a no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari and the joint Opposition also decided to file a similar motion against Speaker Pervaiz Elahi.

The political crisis took a new turn after Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari decided to summon a session today, instead of April 16.

Earlier today, Deputy Speaker Mazari in a conversation with Geo News had said that the Punjab Assembly secretariat was “not cooperating” with him. He had added that the session called today, in line with the assurances given to the Supreme Court by the provincial law officer, would take place.

“I did not consult the Punjab government, PTI or the speaker. I summoned the Assembly session in light of the Supreme Court’s orders,” Mazari had said.

Ahead of Mazari’s conversation with Geo News, sources had confirmed that the secretary of the assembly refused to follow the orders of the deputy speaker.

The sources said that the secretary is refusing to call the session as it cannot be summoned on a “simple piece of paper”.

On the other hand, Punjab Assembly Spokesperson Zain Ali Bhatti shared that the session will be held on April 16.

“Till an official letter is not issued, the first order will remain in place,” said Bhatti. He added that the assembly is being refurbished due to the damage done to the hall in the last session.

When Mazari was asked a question about the validity of his orders, the deputy speaker said that the “notification was not fake”. He added that the notification summoning the session on April 16 was also issued by him and has been cancelled.

PTI submits no-confidence motion against Mazari

With the controversy surrounding the orders of the deputy speaker summoning the assembly session for the election of the Punjab CM, the PTI submitted a no-confidence motion against Mazari.

The no-confidence motion has been moved by the PTI under Article 53-7-C and Article 127. The PTI, while filing the motion, had said that the deputy speaker with today’s orders has 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, PML-Q said that Deputy Speaker Mazari is “no longer authorised” to summon a session.

PTI responds

PTI leader Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed, while speaking on the stand-off in the Punjab Assembly, said that Deputy Speaker Mazari had summoned today’s session “without taking the party into confidence”.

“Deputy speaker violated the rules by summoning the session,” said Rasheed. He also shared that Speaker Pervaiz Elahi has withdrawn the powers he gave to the deputy speaker.

Shortly after Rasheed's statement, Speaker Elahi withdrew the powers of the deputy speaker. 

PML-N to submit no-trust against Speaker

Minutes after the motion against Mazari, PML-N leader Ataullah Tarar announced that the joint Opposition has decided to move a no-confidence motion against Pervaiz Elahi.

“We are going to submit a no-confidence motion against Pervaiz Elahi,” said Tarar.

‘Elahi has become blind in lust for power’

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz said that Speaker Pervaiz Elahi has “become blind in the lust for power”.

He said that the PTI has created a “drama” in the country.

Police deployed outside PA secretariat

On the instructions of Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, a heavy contingent of police has been deployed outside the assembly secretariat to avoid any untoward situation.

Elahi also banned the entry of media persons to the provincial assembly, security staff confirmed.

The security of the provincial legislature has also put up barbed wires on the main gate of the assembly.