Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly and opposition’s candidate for the Punjab chief minister Hamza Shehbaz on Monday accused Speaker of Punjab Assembly Parvez Elahi of planning to suspend the membership of 40 MPAs of the opposition ahead of the voting to elect the new leader of the house.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore at a hotel where opposition MPAs are staying, Hamza warned Elahi of dire consequences if he disrupted the election of the leader of the house.
“Parvez Elahi, who is incumbent speaker, is using his office for his election for the slot of leader of the house,” Hamza said.
Elahi was nominated by Prime Minister Imran Khan as the candidate of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the seat of chief minister of Punjab, after Usman Buzdar’s resignation.
“It has come to our notice that Parvez Elahi is planning to suspend the membership of 40 MPAs ahead of the voting to get the required strength as he is lagging behind in the numbers game,” Hamza said.
Warning of impending pandemonium in the Punjab Assembly, he said that cameras were installed in the house to identify those who would try to create a ruckus.
On Sunday, Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari adjourned the house for two days while citing that there was ‘pandemonium’ in the house and, therefore, the proceedings could not be held.
Former Punjab governor Chaudhry Sarwar had claimed that Elahi lacked the required strength of 186 members to become the CM and, therefore, he (Sarwar) was asked to dissolve the assembly but he refused to do so.
“You [Elahi] were losing that day and, therefore, you adjourned the house in just six minutes without conducting the election of the leader of the house,” Hamza said.
“I warn you that you will be responsible for grave consequences if the same episode is repeated on Tuesday,” he added.
He claimed that the joint opposition had the support of 200 MPAs and, therefore, the government was reluctant to conduct the election process.
