The senior leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Parliamentary Party from Punjab will sit together today (Monday) to formulate a strategy in the Punjab Assembly over the suspension of three MPAs of the party.
The memberships of Azma Bukhari, Pir Ashraf Rasool and Mian Abdul Rauf were suspended by Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari on Friday, who chaired the session that day. The opposition was trying to speak over the local government bill while terming the report of the standing committee as unlawful, but wasn’t allowed to speak by the chair. Heated arguments were also exchanged between Mazari and Bukhari that day during the session.
A written order was issued by the deputy speaker, stating that the opposition started hue and cry over the proposed local government bill when the question hour was in progress on Friday. The chair requested the opposition members not to hamper the proceedings of the House, but they started raising slogans and used derogatory remarks against the chair, the order said.
“The chair time and again called the House in order but of no avail. The business of the assembly was severely hampered by the unruly and grossly disorderly conduct of these members,” said the notification issued by the deputy speaker and available with Daily Times.
Suspended MPA Azma demands amendment to rules regarding conduct of speaker, deputy speaker
The chair, under Rule 210 of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, 1997, ordered the members to withdraw immediately from the assembly but they continued hampering the proceeding of the House. “Above-mentioned MPAs shall absent themselves from the sittings and precincts of the assembly till the prorogation of the current session,” the order said.
Meanwhile, Azma Bukhari strongly reacted to her membership’s suspension, saying that amendment should be made to the rules over the conduct and mistake made by the speaker and deputy speaker. She further said that neither she misbehaved with deputy speaker, nor did she chant slogans against him.
“I have earned only respect during my political career, but the deputy speaker used unparliamentarily remarks against me,” said Azma, who is serving as an MPA for the fourth consecutive term.
“The conduct of deputy speaker is unbearable, who talked to me in very derogatory way despite the fact that he has less parliamentary experience than me,” she said. She was of the view that PTI borrowed the culture of misbehaviour and misconduct from its leadership and now it had entered the Punjab Assembly.
The PML-N Lahore General Secretary and MPA, Kh Imran Nazir, said that his party would record a severe protest over the suspension of MPAs in Punjab Assembly. “The speaker and deputy speaker are the custodians of the House, but biasness was showed by the deputy speaker that day,” he said.
Talking to Daily Times, PML-N spokesperson and MPA Malik Ahmed said that some responsible figures of the government contacted the suspended members afterword, and another round of talk with the government would also take place today (Monday).
“We’ll convene our parliamentary party meeting soon to craft a strategy over the local government bill when it would be brought on the agenda item for the Punjab Assembly, he concluded.” The session of Punjab Assembly would resume again today afternoon.