The Punjab Assembly on Saturday passed a strong-worded resolution against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) while condemning the disqualification of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
The House also demanded the removal of the chief election commissioner amid ruckus created by the PML-N lawmakers.
According to details, the hurriedly called session of the Punjab Assembly started after the delay of more than two hours from its scheduled time with Speaker Sibtain Khan in the chair.
As former chief minister, Sardar Usman Buzdar stood on his seat to move the resolution against the ECP, the MPAs of PML-N started chanted slogans against Imran Khan. Led by MPA Azma Bukhari, the lawmakers of PML-N recorded their protest while surrounding the speaker’s dais, but Buzdar kept reading the resolution.
The situation turned bad when some women lawmakers of the PML-N tried to silence Buzdar. The PTI MPAs also came forward in front of the Speaker’s dais to protect Buzdar and other senior ministers. MPA Rana Shehbaz of the PTI demanded that a ban of 15 days should be imposed by the Speaker on woman MPAs, who were disturbing the proceeding of the House.
“The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is the only federal democratic party of Pakistan and it is also a symbol of federation having representation in all the four provinces and two federating units,” the resolution said.
The decision of ECP is tantamount to damaging the federation of Pakistan, the resolution added. “The results of the recently held by-polls have proved that Imran Khan is the symbol of federation. The imported government wants to oust Imran Khan from the political field with the help of ECP. They cannot compete with him in the political field,” said the resolution. They are trying to minus Imran Khan from the politics after being failed to defeat him. “This House strongly rejects this decision as it will be remembered as the black chapter in the political history of Pakistan,” said the resolution.
Speaker Sibtain Khan read the resolution to take the vote of consent of the House and he read the content passionately as he was delivering a political speech. Throughout the process of resolution, the MPAs of PML-N kept surrounding the Speaker’s dais to record their protest amid severe sloganeering against Imran Khan.
They were also carrying placards inscribed with slogans against Imran Khan. Senior PTI ministers, including Mian Aslam Iqbal, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, Ali Afzal Sahi and Raja Basharat also delivered fiery speeches against the ECP.
Later, the speaker adjourned the House Sine die.
Addressing a press conference following the PA session, Uzma Bukhari said that it has been proved that Imran was involved in corrupt practices since day one.
“Imran Khan was the first Prime Minister of the country who had not declared his source of income.” She alleged that Imran was hell-bent on bringing political instability in the country, adding that he was a certified thief and he would always be remembered by the same name.
To a question, she said that Imran always labeled his political opponents as a thief but now he himself had been declared a thief. She said that Imran had no powers to dissolve any provincial assembly. She asserted that he should have been strictly punished in the Toshakhana reference.
