LAHORE: Before the confusion over whether the Punjab Assembly session to elect a new leader of the house would be held today (Wednesday) or April 16, the joint opposition declared that its own as well as the PTI’s dissident lawmakers will converge at the assembly on Wednesday to push for convening the session without any delay.

“We will go to the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday with all our lawmakers to ensure the government follows the Supreme Court’s directives to hold the election of the chief minister,” Leader of the Opposition Hamza Shehbaz told a presser here on Tuesday.

The PML-N leader also warned the government that interim Prime Minister Imran Khan would be responsible in case of any violence at the assembly.

PML-N leaders Rana Sanaullah, Saad Rafique and Atta Tarar, who all accompanied Hamza at the presser, looked perturbed over the earlier move by Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari to postpone the assembly session.

PML-N leader asks SC to take note of postponement of session to elect CM despite court orders

They wondered how he could take such a step despite an assurance by the advocate general to the apex court that the chief minister’s election in Punjab would be held on Wednesday (today) as per schedule, and the government would not create any hurdles in the process.

A source in the provincial government told Dawn that PTI workers could also reach the assembly to harass the dissidents.

On Monday, ruling party workers had besieged a hotel here in Gulberg where the PML-N MPAs were staying besides the disgruntled lawmakers of the ruling party. Following this episode, the PML-N, which claims to have the support of 200 lawmakers, including over 20 PTI dissidents, moved some MPAs to another hotel in Gulberg over fears of more ‘attacks’.

“Imran Niazi arrived here on Tuesday to hold a parallel court and ordered deferring of the PA session till April 16. The apex court should take notice of this,” a visibly upset Hamza said, smelling a conspiracy behind delaying the session without any plausible reason.

It appeared that the government lied to the apex court that it would hold the election on Wednesday and ensure the lawmakers exercised their right to franchise without any hurdle, he remarked. The deputy speaker delayed the important session on the pretext of ransacking of assembly rooms, he added.

“I urge the judiciary to take note of the situation. If our lawmakers are attacked (on Wednesday) at the assembly (by PTI workers) we can also give a call to our workers,” he declared and warned Imran Khan and the ruling coalition’s candidate for the chief minister, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, against taking ‘unconstitutional steps’.

“The session was delayed after they sensed a defeat. I ask Mr Elahi that if he has the numbers he should contest the poll and we will accept the result,” he said.

“All the institutions, including the judiciary, and political parties need to play their role, otherwise the nation will not forgive us. Imran Khan is a ‘suicide bomber’ as he trampled the Constitution. He will be made accountable for foreign funding and toshakhana cases. Both former governor Chaudhry Sarwar and Aleem Khan have exposed Imran Khan,” he said, adding that the country could be divided if rule of law was not ensured.

On the other hand, Hamza parried a question about how the PML-N embraced “land mafia” of Aleem Khan and “sugar mafia” of the Jahangir Tareen group to win the election of the chief minister.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2022