LAHORE, May 30: The Punjab Assembly’s 27 MPAs, who had been disallowed to attend the session by the speaker, approached the Lahore High Court chief justice on Friday, complaining that they were not even allowed to enter the assembly building.

However, the complaint became infructuous, as Punjab Advocate-General Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi informed court that the speaker had prorogued the session sine die, and the order banning their presence in the assembly proceedings had lapsed. Following this disclosure, the complainants returned to the assembly building.

Earlier, Senator Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, MNA Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan and Advocate Naseer Ahmad Bhutta appeared in the retiring room of the chief justice and informed him that the 27 MPAs were not being allowed by the police officials to enter the assembly building.

They argued that the speaker, while exercising his powers under the rule 210 of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab Rules 1997, could order the MPAs only to remain absent from the assembly proceedings. No such restriction on their access to the chambers of opposition and deputy opposition leader, cafeteria and assembly building could be imposed on the MPAs, they claimed.

The court was requested to direct the speaker to let the 27 MPAs enter the assembly building. The court summoned the AG, who could not appear as he was busy delivering a lecture at the National Institute of Public Administration.

Following this, the LHC registrar was entrusted with the responsibility of conveying the court directions to the speaker with regard to the entry of MPAs in the assembly chambers.

Meanwhile, the AG appeared in the retiring room and said he had established contact with the speaker, who had prorogued the session, and the orders under rule 210 had lapsed since they were to remain in force during the current session only.

MPAs Qasim Zia, Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan, Dr Asad Ashraf, Sheikh Amjad Aziz, Muhammad Ajasim Sharif, Ahad Malik, Samiullah Khan, Bilal Yasin, Muhammad Nawaz Malik, Dr Asad Muazzam, Rana Sanaullah, Sheikh Ejaz Ahmad, Raja Riaz Ahmad, Aftab Ahmad Khan, Chaudhry Azhar Nadeem, Muhammad Ashraf Kamboh, Lala Shakeelur Rehman, Mian Saud Hassan Dar, Ejaz Ahmad Sammah, Sheikh Tanveer Ahmad, Imran Ashraf, Sheikh Aziz Aslam, Dr Muhammad Afzal, Jehanzeb Rao, Chaudhry Sajjad Gujjar, Syed Mujahid Ali Shah and Dr Nazir Ahmad Dogar appeared before the CJ at his chamber.