LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan on Thursday vowed to maintain order in the house after repeated incidents of disruptions during sessions.

He referred to instances of disruption by the opposition during Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s budget session speech last year and by members of the treasury when Opposition Leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachchar opened discussion on budget this year. He said certain members had been persistently challenging his authority by their deplorable, disorderly and rowdy conduct.

He said Rule 210 of the Punjab Assembly empowered him to bar a member from taking part in the proceedings or even suspend a member from service for disregarding his authority or by consistently and willfully obstructing the business of the assembly.

“In future, I shall take all the steps within the legal framework to maintain order and uphold dignity of this august house and its members,” he said in the ruling issued in writing.

The speaker recalled that on June 16, opposition members tried to interrupt the budget speech. He said member Hassan Malik had hit the finance minister with the budget book. Examination of the video of the incident revealed that Hassan made this attempt repeatedly, due to which the finance minister had to stop his budget speech.

He said, “Protest is a constitutional right, but I will not allow the house to be occupied. I have the power to suspend the membership (of any MPA) for misconduct. If one tries to stop the proceedings of the house, I will not let it happen.”

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2025