LAHORE: Giving interim relief to 18 PML-N MPAs who have been barred from attending Punjab Assembly session, the Lahore High Court has allowed them to attend the assembly session in order to cast their votes in case no-confidence resolution is tabled in the upcoming Dec 21 session.
A two-judge LHC bench comprising Justice Shahid Bilal and Justice Risal Hussain Tuesday heard the petitions filed by PML-N lawmakers including Samiullah Khan, Azma Bokhari and other MPAs.
As per the LHC interim order, 18 PML-N MPAs of Punjab Assembly who were barred from attending the assembly session have been permitted to cast their votes in the Dec 21 session summoned by the governor requiring Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to seek vote of confidence from the house members.
In case, voting on no-confidence resolution is held, these members are allowed to cast their votes, the LHC ruled. On behalf of MPA Saiful Malook Khokhar and Rana Mashhod Ahmad Khan, Rana Asad Ullah Advocate was appeared before the court.
While Imtiaz Rashid Siddiqui and Muhammad Sheikh were appeared before the bench on behalf of Punjab Assembly speaker. During the hearing, PA speaker’s lawyer Imtiaz Siddiqui pleaded the court to dismiss the petition after declaring it non-maintainable. He argued it was speaker’s prerogative which could not be challenged in a court of law.
While, the PML-N MPAs’ lawyers Rana Asad and Mansoor Awan contended that as per the law, the lawmakers’ entry to the assembly could be banned only for 15 days. But the speaker imposed an entry ban on the MPs for 15 sittings of the assembly which is against the law, they argued.
They said since the no-trust motions have been submitted against the PA speaker and deputy speaker, the MPAs could not be denied of their right to cast their votes during tabling of these resolution. The MPAs who have got relief from the LHC include: Mian Abdul Rauf, Raheela Khadim Hussain, Zeeshan Rafique, Pir Ashraf Rasool, Saba Sadiq, Azma Bokhari, Samiullah Khan, Rabbiya Nusrat, Kanwal Liaquat, Rabia Farooqui, Rahat Afza, Sadia Nadeem, Sunbal Malik, and Nafeesa Ameen.
On October 24, Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan banned the entry of 18 PML-N lawmakers for the duration of 15 proceedings of the provincial legislature. The action was taken due to their alleged misconduct by hampering the house’s proceedings on October 22, when former chief minister Sardar Usman Buzdar was presenting a resolution against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision of disqualifying former premier Imran.
