Daily Times

LAHORE: Opposition lawmakers on Thursday jointly urged the Punjab Assembly (PA) speaker to reverse a resolution that was passed the other day to support disqualified premier Nawaz Sharif, saying that the rules of this highest forum of the province did not allow giving any favour to a person convicted by Pakistani courts.

The Punjab Assembly passed a resolution on Wednesday, in the absence of the opposition leader, in favour of disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The resolution was moved by In-charge Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Khalil Tahir Sindhu after getting permission from the speaker.

During Thursday’s session of the PA, the joint opposition protested against passing of the resolution in favour of Nawaz Sharif, terming it illegal and against the procedure of rules of business of the provincial assembly of Punjab. They urged the speaker to take it back, as the ousted premier had been convicted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan over corruption charges in Panama case.

Justifying the passage of the resolution, the minister for law and parliamentary affairs said that they had done it by suspending the rules first in this regard. He also pointed out that as the resolution had already been passed by the Punjab Assembly, it could not be discussed in the House as per the law. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed opposition leader in the House Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed on a point of order said that the treasury benches got advantage of his absence and passed the said resolution, which was totally illegal and against the rules of the assembly.

The opposition leader also criticised the role of Speaker Rana Iqbal, questioning how he could allow any illegal resolution to be tabled in the House, especially when it was regarding a person who had been declared a culprit by the court and also disqualified for life over his crimes.

Mehmoodur Rasheed said that Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan should clarify whether he was a speaker at the service of a disqualified and convicted premier or the speaker of the House. He urged him to reverse the said resolution immediately, as it was in violation of the law and rules of the assembly.

Published in Daily Times, September 15^th 2017.