Speaker Parvez Elahi postpones Punjab Assembly session till May 16

• The crucial session will now be held on May 16 at 11:30am.
• Sources say Elahi postponed the session due to "threats to law and order situation."
• “It is my discretionary right to decide when to summon the session,” Elahi says.

LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Parvez Elahi Thursday postponed a crucial assembly session initially summoned today to take up a no-trust resolution against its Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari till May 16, Geo News reported.

A notification for this has been issued by the speaker’s office. This is the second time Elahi has postponed the session.

The crucial session will now be held on May 16 at 11:30am.

“The Punjab Assembly session has been postponed till May 16,” read the notification issued by the speaker’s office, without giving any reason.

Sources, however, said that Elahi postponed it due to "threats to the law and order situation.” They said the administration and police were prepared and all arrangements had been made for the session today.

It is worth mentioning that in its last meeting on April 16, the Punjab Assembly had witnessed unprecedented violence, leaving many injured, including Elahi. 

The House, however, ended up electing Hamza Shehbaz, leader of the Opposition in the House and the son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as the chief minister amid a boycott by PTI and PML-Q lawmakers.

‘Discretionary right’

Speaking to journalists outside the assembly, Elahi said: “Sharifs have shown their true face.” He accused PML-N of using the inspector-general of police (IGP) of the Punjab police.

“It is my discretionary right to decide when to summon the session,” he said.

‘Election did not take place constitutionally’

Later addressing a press conference, the Punjab Assembly speaker said that the CM election did not take place in light of the Constitution.

“The entire election process is held inside the House; however, the deputy speaker chaired the voting process from the visitor’s gallery," he said, accusing PM Shehbaz Sharif of giving instructions to the IG and chief secretary.

He added that police were deployed at the spot where votes against Hamza were to be cast.

Elahi also mentioned that until the new CM takes oath, the current CM continues to perform their duties, adding that Usman Buzdar is the chief minister of the province for now.

‘PTI dissidents will not cast votes’

Earlier, dissident PTI member Nauman Ahmad Langrial had said that the dissident PTI members will not cast their votes.

He had mentioned that those who submitted the no-confidence motion against the deputy speaker need to bring 186 members who will cast a vote in favour of the motion, otherwise it will be considered a failure.

It is worth mentioning that the Punjab Assembly speaker had sent a case to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against some 26 ‘dissident’ members for action. Notices have been issued to the members to hear their cases for May 6. The ECP has also issued notices to the PTI.

PTI submits no-trust motion against deputy speaker

On April 6, PTI filed a no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari and the then joint Opposition also decided to file a similar motion against Speaker Parvez Elahi.

The no-confidence motion had 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 had 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.