LAHORE: The PML-N has alleged horse-trading and use of arm-twisting in the elections for the slots of speaker and deputy speaker of the Punjab Assembly held on Thursday.

Party candidate for chief minister Hamza Shahbaz alleged during his media talk after the polls that 12 votes of the PML-N were “stolen” in the election for the office of speaker as its nominee Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal could bag 147 ballots against its numerical strength of 164 in the house.

The tally of votes increased to 159 in the contest for the position of deputy speaker when they threatened to jam the democratic system through a vigorous protest against the rigging, he added.

Hamza alleges 12 PML-N votes were stolen

Both the slots were won by the candidates of PTI-PML-Q alliance. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi (Q leader) became speaker by clinching 201 votes and Sardar Dost Mazari (PTI) deputy speaker by gaining 187 votes.

The PML-N earlier boycotted the polling for the office of deputy speaker after election to the speaker’s slot as its leader Khwaja Saad Rafiq alleged that his party’s MPAs were being coerced to vote for the nominees of PTI-Q alliance.

Voting process remained suspended for hours and the N League agreed to join it only after talks with a PTI team, which guaranteed fairness in the elections.

When the result of the speaker’s election was announced, PML-N MPAs led by Azma Zahid Bukhari staged a protest for over half-an-hour in front of the speaker’s rostrum and raised slogans against ‘horse-trading’.

As Mr Elahi took charge of his office following the oath administered by outgoing speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal, the new speaker initially asked PTI and PML-Q members to keep cool and allowed the PML-N MPAs to vent their anger.

In his inaugural speech, Mr Elahi acknowledged support of PTI chief Imran Khan and alliance members for getting him elected as speaker. He assured the house that he would carry along all MPAs to run the house affairs in a manner that poor masses would be served through required legislation. He said the house would be run in a fair and judicious manner as all relevant rules and regulations would be implemented. “The PTI-and PML-Q governance system will turn around the fate of the province and its residents,” he asserted.

PML-N candidate for speaker Chaudhry Iqbal Gujjar said his party would cooperate with the government if it followed the right path.

Earlier in the day, PML-N leaders Saad Rafique and Rana Mashhood raised concerns about the secrecy of ballot papers in the presence of smart phone cameras.

The voting started for the speaker’s election after all members in the house agreed that nobody would take his or her mobile phone along while stamping ballot paper in the polling booth.

The PML-N and PTI members kept raising slogans during the process. The PML-N also tried to interrupt the voting process by raising objection that why the majority party had yet not given schedule for the chief minister election. The PTI members kept the chief minister’s seat in the house vacant as no nominee had been announced by the party leadership . ALEEM KHAN: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Aleem Khan has said the Punjab Assembly speaker and deputy speaker election results were not the only shock for the PML-N as more such trouble was in store.

Speaking to media persons, Mr Khan said the people of Punjab had rejected the PML-N and added that some of its elected members had even voted for Speaker Pervaiz Elahi. “I did not contact any PML-N MPA to seek vote for speaker and deputy speaker,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2018