LAHORE: The much-awaited Punjab Assembly session that was called on Thursday to take up the no-trust motion against its deputy speaker had to be postponed, as police force cordoned off the premises, arrested the assembly’s coordination secretary and were conducting raids to arrest the secretary to avert “a situation prejudicial to public safety and maintenance of public order”.

Explaining his decision, Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi said he felt compelled to postpone the session for May 16 as an uncalled-for situation had been created by the civil administration by “harassing and arresting” assembly staff members. He said the administration made these inappropriate moves in and outside the assembly at the behest of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz.

In a related development, Governor Omer Sarfraz Cheema again did not administer oath to CM-elect Hamza Shehbaz on Thursday, in defiance of the Lahore High Court’s order of Wednesday. The LHC had ordered him to nominate someone to do it if he was not able do so.

The Punjab Assembly session had been scheduled for Thursday to table a motion, submitted by some seven Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MPAs, for the removal of Dost Muhammad Mazari from the office of the deputy speaker for the alleged inclination he had shown towards the PML-N and conducting the April 16 session of the House to elect the chief minister from the Officer’s Gallery in the assembly hall.

Administration refuses Buzdar’s orders; governor insists won’t administer oath to Hamza; Elahi holds Sharifs responsible

The joint opposition’s candidate, Hamza Shehbaz, was elected with 197 votes following a violent session that also saw the PTI-PML-Q joint candidate, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, injured.

Buzdar demoralised

Meanwhile, the PTI government’s chief minister Usman Buzdar, who is still holding office, has been conspicuously silent as he himself feels powerless in the wake of dissolution of his cabinet. The bureaucracy has also kept its distance from Mr Buzdar, and all summaries and orders are being kept pending, leading to a complete administrative impasse in the province.

Assessing the situation, a delegation of the PTI and PML-Q leaders met CM Buzdar and asked him to utilise his powers, and even suggested he constitute an advisory committee to push the bureaucracy to follow the incumbent government’s instructions.

Sources say Mr Buzdar has himself stated that his recent meetings with the chief secretary (CS) and the Punjab inspector general of police (IGP) were just optics, as his orders were not being implemented and the summaries he had signed were not carried forward for their implementation. He is said to have felt the bureaucracy, including the CS and IGP, was following orders being disseminated from the Prime Minister Office in Islamabad.

The delegation members suggested that the advisory committee comprise former senior ministers to run the affairs of the province.

On the other hand, Punjab Governor Omer Sarfraz Cheema is adamant that he won’t administer the oath to CM-elect Hamza Shehbaz over the supposed invalidity of the election.

Thursday began in Lahore with apprehensions that the PTI and PML-Q MPAs planned to seek revenge against the violence and manhandling of Mr Elahi during the April 16 session. There were reports that some clubs had been quietly transported inside the assembly building a night before. Consequently, the PML-N leadership activated the civil administration that went all out for the party and cordoned off the assembly building, disallowing even the media from entering the premises.

Soon afterwards, police arrested Punjab Assembly Coordination Secretary Inayatullah Lak under Section 3 of the MPO in front of the Governor House, when he was travelling to his office. Since there were reports that police would also arrest PA Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti, he slipped away.

Mr Lak’s three-day detention order stated that it was learnt from reliable sources that he would create a law and order situation and there was evidence of his commission as well as abetment of offences, including assault on members of the provincial assembly and subversion of constitutional provisions regarding election of various offices.

“This way, he has become a potential danger to public peace and tranquility and will create a situation prejudicial to public safety and maintenance of public order,” the order stated.

‘Sharifs responsible for crisis’

Meanwhile, Speaker Elahi, flanked by PTI and PML-Q MPAs, at a press conference held Hamza Shehbaz, PM Sharif, Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari and the Punjab IGP responsible for the crisis in the Punjab Assembly. He alleged that the PTI MPAs were attacked and police had breached the privilege of the House.

“Usman Buzdar is still the Punjab chief minister and there is no constitutional crisis in the province,” he stressed.

The PML-Q leader said the ruling coalition in Punjab had accepted the court judgement regarding the chief minister’s election, but the situation deteriorated when police attacked the MPAs inside the assembly without any justification. He claimed MPA Asiya Amjad was tortured and was on ventilator fighting for her life.

The speaker said Mr Mazari had conducted the entire election for the CM from the Officer’s Gallery of the assembly, which was unconstitutional. Furthermore, he claimed, the PTI and PML-Q MPAs were not allowed to vote as police had blocked the lobby where votes were being polled. Through the illegal police interference, the speaker said, the privilege of the entire assembly had been breached.

“A motion in this regard is under consideration of the Privileges Committee on which action will be taken in accordance with the Rules of Procedure,” Mr Elahi declared.

He said the court should declare whether the assembly business would be run by the police or parliamentarians. “Even today, without the permission of the speaker, policemen in plainclothes were present at the assembly gates and compound,” he lamented, adding he would provide photographs of these officials to the media.

Mr Elahi reiterated that he had honoured and accorded respect to the Sharifs, safeguarded their rights under the Privileges Act, and made the entire administration stand before them. For the first time in history, he recalled, the IGP had been summoned to the assembly some months ago and he had apologised to the MPAs. But now, he was insulting the lawmakers and the privilege of the House.

He further said the Sharifs had not changed a bit despite being in power in the Centre and Punjab six times and continued to commit vengeful acts. He said the arrest of the assembly’s coordination secretary and orders for the arrest of the secretary were illegal.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2022