Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan has ordered the suspension of 26 opposition MPAs for 15 sittings of the provincial legislature after their protests disrupted the proceedings, it emerged on Saturday.
The members raised slogans and protested during Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s speech in the assembly yesterday, when she responded to PTI leadership’s comments that ex-premier Nawaz Sharif — also an MNA — had been removed from the political arena.
According to an order issued by Malik on Friday, the suspended MPAs “became disorderly, beyond all parliamentary reasoning and practices”, including tearing the agenda papers and hurling torn pieces towards the treasury benches as well as using “offensive, abusive, and unparliamentary language and slogans”.
The order was issued under Rule 210 of the Punjab Assembly Rules of Procedure 1997 (power to order withdrawal or suspension of member) and stated that the 26 MPAs violated four provisions of Rule 223.
These were (c) (shall not interrupt any member while speaking by disorderly expression or noises or in any other disorderly manner), (f) (shall maintain silence when not speaking in the assembly), (h) (shall not chant slogans, display banners or placards, throw and tear table documents and reports, etc), and (i) (shall not indulge in rowdy behaviour).
The MPAs also allegedly manhandled the treasury members, blocking their way as they tried to approach the treasury benches with “threatening gestures”.
Malik, in his order, said he repeatedly tried to call the assembly to order, but the opposition “declined to act in accordance with the Rules and persisted with misconduct and disorder and kept challenging my orders and authority”.
The speaker concluded that the opposition MPAs had “disregarded [his] authority as speaker […] consistently and willfully obstructing the business of the assembly”.
Out of the 26 MPAs suspended, 17 were listed as belonging to the Sunni Ittehad Council, which PTI-affiliated candidates joined last year after their party was deprived of its election symbol. At least eight others, however, were stated as PTI MPAs.
The following 26 lawmakers were suspended:
Malik Fahad Masood (PP-13) — SIC
Muhammad Tanveer Aslam (PP-19) — SIC
Syed Riffat Mehmood (PP-24) — SIC
Yasir Mehmood Qureshi (PP-25) — SIC
Kaleemullah Khan (PP-60) — SIC
Muhammad Ansar Iqbal (PP-73) — SIC
Ali Asif (PP-75) — SIC
Zulfiqar Ali (PP-76) — SIC
Ahmad Mujtaba Chaudhary (PP-99) — SIC
Shahid Javed (PP-115) — PTI
Muhammad Ismael (PP-116) — PTI
Khayal Ahmad (PP-118) — PTI
Shahbaz Ahmad (PP-130)
Tayyab Rashid (PP-141) — SIC
Imtiaz Mehmood (PP-155) — SIC
Ali Imtiaz (PP-156) — SIC
Rashid Tufail (PP-175) — SIC
Rai Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal (PP-203) — PTI
Khalid Zubair Nisar (PP-231) — PTI
Chaudhry Muhammad Ejaz Shafi (PP-258) — SIC
Saima Kanwal (PP-260) — SIC
Muhammad Naeem (PP-263) — SIC
Sajjad Ahmad (PP-265) — PTI
Rana Aurangzaib (PP-276) — PTI
Lt. Col (retired) Shuaib Ameer (PP-281) — SIC
Usama Asghar Ali Gujjar (PP-282) — PTI
10 MPAs fined for ‘vandalism’
Separately, the Punjab Assembly secretary general has also fined 10 MPAs Rs203,550 each for allegedly damaging public property during the June 16 session, according to a letter issued today.
According to Malik, opposition members had tried to interrupt the budget speech by Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman. He claimed SIC’s Hassan Malik had hit the minister with the budget book repeatedly, causing the Rehman to stop his address.
The letter by Chaudhry Amer Habib to the 10 lawmakers stated that the fine was being imposed on account of damages, as eight microphones were broken after the named individuals climbed upon the desks. It also cited a video recording of the incident.
The statement added that if the payment was not made within seven days, action would be taken under the Punjab Government Dues Recovery Ordinance 1962.
The 10 MPAs included six who have been suspended over yesterday’s session — SIC’s Tanveer Aslam, Imtiaz Mahmood and Riffat, along with PTI’s Nisar, Ismael and Aurangzaib.
Others were Shahbaz Ahmed, PTI’s Chaudhry Javed Kausar and Mohammad Ahsan Ali, and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen’s Asad Abbas.
The MPAs, the letter said, had violated Rule 223 (r), which states that a lawmaker “shall not break or harm any furniture, equipment or device installed in the chamber”.
Malik directed the recovery of the damage under Rule 235 (residuary powers of the speaker.