LAHORE, Oct 29: Deputy Speaker Shaukat Husain Mazari committed a faux pas when confused by a gesture of the law minister, he passed a motion put forward by the opposition to amend a bill tabled by the government.

After discussion on a bill for amending the Punjab Privileges Act 1972 to provide official plates bearing the insignia of “MPA” to all members of the house at government’s expense, the chair put to the vote an amendment proposed by the opposition. Law minister Raja Basharat gestured to the loudspeakers hanging in the house in a bid to stop Mr Mazari from continuing the proceedings.

Mr Mazari perhaps thought that the minister, who opposed the amendment, had changed his mind and pointed towards ‘Ayes’.

“Those in favour of the motion say ‘Ayes’,” the chair said, and on hearing a couple of voices from the opposition benches in its favour, ruled that the motion had been passed, without bothering to seek votes against the amendment. A shocked, Raja Basharat, immediately stood up and rushed to the chair to inform it about the situation the ruling had created for the Treasury.

After the Azan was over, Mr Mazari again put the motion to the vote. Deputy opposition leader Rana Sanaullah opposed it, saying the chair could not nullify the earlier vote. Mr Mazari insisted that he had not completed the voting process. He again put the motion to the vote. The opposition walked out of the house to protest the way the house was being run.

Later, the house passed the bill rejecting all amendments to it.