Lahore: A ruckus in Punjab Assembly session continued third day on Wednesday with the opposition’s demands for the chief minister to take a vote of confidence.
The session began after a delay of almost two hours with Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan presiding over it.
Addressing the session, PPP MPA Syed Usman Mehmood said that the “minority government” was requested to take a confidence vote and then a period for questions could be held as well.
PML-N lawmaker Raheela Khadim Hussain refused to speak during the question and answers session and instead requested that the confidence vote be taken first.
The PA speaker said that the government would take a confidence vote but first the Lahore High Court should be allowed to make the final decision on the matter tomorrow.
He said the government could not remain in power if it did not take a confidence vote and told the opposition to bring a no-confidence motion to settle the matter.
Meanwhile, PTI MPA Sardar Shahabuddin Khan lashed out at the opposition for causing a ruckus and said it had nothing to do with assembly proceedings. The PA speaker concurred and said that the lawmakers who do not allow the assembly business to continue should be suspended.
As the opposition lawmakers chanted slogans and came face-to-face with government MPAs, the PA speaker urged them to return to their seats, and warned them of action against them.
At one point, Punjab Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basharat Raja also attempted to placate the opposition members, who continued with their sloganeering to force the chief minister into taking a confidence vote.
Earlier in the day, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi had no other option but to take a vote of confidence from the Punjab Assembly.
“We have 179 numbers in Punjab which can go up as well. But, you (the PTI and PML-Q) don’t have the 186 number. If you do, then Elahi should immediately take a trust vote — there is no other solution,” he said.
“I want to make it clear that they will have to take a vote of confidence anyway,” Sanaullah added.
PML-N lawmaker Atta Tarar had also passed similar remarks. He said that the trust vote could not be “previewed”. “Only more time can be given […] but a vote of confidence is imminent,” he told reporters outside the high court.
Tarar claimed that the chief minister wanted to travel abroad to meet his son Moonis Elahi. “But let me tell you […] we won’t let you run away from the vote of confidence. Either take it or go home.”
Meanwhile, PTI Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said that 177 PTI MPAs had reached for a meeting of the parliamentary party while 10 PML-Q lawmakers would also arrive soon for a total of 187 MPAs.
