Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has decided to send a reference against 20 estranged PTI lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) under political conviction charges.

The reference would be handed over by the chief whip of the PTI Abbas Ali Shah to Speaker of Punjab Assembly Parvez Elahi. “After speaker’s approval, the reference will be sent to the ECP where the commission is bound to decide on it within a month,” they said.

However, PTI lawmakers who voted in favour of Hamza Shehbaz for the chief minister’s slot included Aleem Khan, Asad Khokhar, Nauman Langrial, Ejaz Alam, Ajmal Cheema, Saeed Akbar, Faisal Jawana, Zawar Warraich and other PTI MPAs.

Dissident lawmakers of the PTI, who were part of Jahangir Tareen and Aleem Khan groups, played a key part in the election of the PML-N leader.

Although, the reference will not be applicable to independent candidates Chaudhry Nisar, Ahmed Ali, Jugnu Mohsin, Bilal Asghar Warraich, Raja Sagheer and others.

According to the source the PML-N has decided against giving any government post or ministry in the provincial cabinet following the decision to send a reference against them.

Earlier, Hamza Shehbaz was elected Chief Minister Punjab during a Punjab Assembly session that saw unprecedented violence resulting in attacks on Speaker Parvez Elahi and Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari.