LAHORE: In what seems to be a new weapon to rein in challengers, Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan on Monday banned the entry of 18 opposition members to the assembly chambers for 15 consecutive sittings of the house for their ‘unruly’ conduct during Saturday’s session.

Opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz rejected the step as ‘shameful’ and a manifestation of ‘dictatorship’, whereas PML-N’s Azma Bokhari, one of the affected MPAs, announced moving court against the action.

The affected legislators included Mian Abdur Rauf, Samiullah Khan, Malik Waheed, Ms Bokhari, Saba Sadiq, Rabia Nusrat, Rabia Naseem Farooqi, Rahila Naeem, Zaibun Nisa Awan, Zeeshan Rafiq, Kanwal Pervaiz, Gulnaz Shahzadi, Nafisa Amin, Rana Afzal, Ali Bukhsh Chattha, Sadia Nadeem, Rahat Afza and Sumbul Malik.

The order said when former CM Usman Buzdar was moving a resolution during Saturday’s session to condemn the ECP for disqualifying PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case, the opposition lawmakers hampered the proceedings notwithstanding the speaker’s requests, and resorted to sloganeering and use of ‘derogatory’ remarks against the PTI leadership as well as the chair.

Opposition in Punjab Assembly says move meant to thwart no-trust motion

The order issued by the assembly secretary said the [treasury] legislators demanded immediate action against the ‘unprecedented’ and ‘untoward’ incident.

Opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz called it a crude attempt to suppress lawful criticism. He regretted that those who ruined the sanctity of institutions were now victimising their opponents on ‘false’ charges. Defending the action, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raja Basharat said the MPAs’ conduct was unbecoming of legislators.

Ms Bokhari told Dawn the speaker’s act was pre-planned to disallow the opposition to show its numerical strength for bringing a no-confidence motion against the chief minister. She said she planned to challenge the ‘dictatorial’ orders in court to protect what she called was her fundamental right to protest any ‘illegal’ policy or measure by the government or the chair. She said she along with other opposition colleagues was protesting the tabling of an ‘unconstitutional’ resolution against a constitutional institution (ECP).

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2022