Daily Times

Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi on Monday suspended the membership of 18 PML-N MPAs who created ruckus in the assembly when the ruling PTI tabled a resolution against the verdict of the Toshakhana reference, a private TV channel reported.

The speaker has suspended the membership of 18 lawmakers belonging to the opposition party PML-N. The action was taken as the PML-N members staged a protest in the legislature when the PTI lawmaker tabled a resolution against the verdict of the Toshakhana reference resulting in disqualification of ex-PM Imran Khan.

The banned MPAs include Mian Abdul Rauf (PP-138), Sami Ullah Khan (PP-144) Malik Muhammad Waheed (PP-156), Azma Zahid Bukhari (W-333) Rabia Naseem Farooqi (W-351), Rahila Naeem (W-356), Zaib-un-Nisa Awan (W-360), Zeeshan Rafique (PP-42), Kanwal Pervaiz Ch. (W-341), Gulnaz Shehzadi (W-342), Nafisa Amin (W-359), Rana Muhammad Afzal (PP-40), Chaudhary Adil Buksh Chttha (PP-52), Saida Nadeem (W-335), Rahat Afza (W-345) and Sumbul Malik Hussain (W-357).

The suspended members have also been barred from entering the assembly premises for 15 days. The notification issued by Punjab Assembly Secretariat, citing the reasons behind the suspension, read the members protested and chanted slogans in the legislature which falls in misconduct. Hence, the speaker of the house resorted to action against them.

The notification issued by the assembly secretariat stated that the aforesaid lawmakers “made a hue and cry” when the resolution was being presented. “I (speaker) requested them not to hamper the proceedings of the House but they continued raising slogans, used derogatory remarks, and blowing whistles,” the statement noted.

The chair repeatedly called the house in order but to no avail. The business of assembly was severely hampered by the unruly and grossly disorderly conduct of the above-said lawmakers, according to the statement. “By taking serious notice of the situation, in the exercise of the powers conferred on me under rule 210 of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab 1997, I ordered the above said members to withdraw immediately from the House. But the said members continued hampering the proceedings,” said the speaker. Other members present in the house had demanded to take immediate action against the lawmakers who were not obeying the speaker’s repeated requests.