A no trust motion has been moved against Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers, putting today’s session of the Punjab Assembly for election of the next Punjab chief minister in doubt.
The PTI leaders moved the no-trust motion against Mazari after he issued the order of the day on Tuesday night and called the assembly session for today evening at 7:30 pm. The PTI lawmakers said that after the no-trust motion, Mazari would not be able to conduct the house.
The deadlock-like situation is similar to what transpired on Sunday when the media was barred from entering the press gallery and doors were shut down for the members of the opposition.
Sources in the Punjab Assembly told Minute Mirror that the notification issued by the Punjab government in the gazette clearly mentioned that the session of the Punjab Assembly would be conducted on April 16 but Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari insisted that it would be conducted on April 6 (today).
Mazari has accused some PA staff members of playing the wrong role in the convening of the session, stating that they were spreading confusion.
Mazari said that the top court had also ordered the holding of the session for today (Wednesday) and the same was conveyed to Chaudhary Pervez Elahi.
The sources said that Mazari was conveyed that a no-trust-motion was moved against him by the PTI leaders and he, after that motion, would not be able to conduct the house, but he insisted that he was still the deputy speaker and would conduct the office.
The development took place after Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Parvez Elahi is running his campaign for the office of Punjab chief minister. Technically, in the absence of the speaker, the deputy speaker conducts the house proceedings and if there is no deputy speaker or the deputy speaker is barred from his role, then the panel of the chairman conducts the house proceedings.
Sources have said that the administration of the Punjab Assembly was now deliberating over the rules of business to decide who would conduct the house proceedings and perhaps that was the reason that the notification for today’s session was not issued.
Talking to Minute Mirror, Punjab Assembly Spokesperson Abdul Qahar confirmed that the session would not be conducted on Wednesday (today).
