- Advertisement -
LAHORE, Jul 07 (APP):Punjab Assembly (PA) Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan said on Monday that he was not in favor of expelling any member from the house.
Addressing a press conference here he said, “Under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution, it is the constitutional right of petitioners to have their applications decided within 30 days.”
He made it clear that if these applications were not resolved within the stipulated time, they would automatically be forwarded to the Election Commission. Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan said that he believed in the supremacy of the constitution and had always strived to run the assembly according to the rules and regulations.
He said that the opposition had been given every possible democratic space in the past but unfortunately, the opposition turned the assembly into a forum for constant disruption.
The opposition thought hooliganism is their political right, but there is no such provision in the constitution, he said and added that parliament was meant for legislation, not protest.
He said, “The Leader of the Opposition, after consulting constitutional expert Salman Akram Raja, claimed that the speaker does not have the authority to send a reference. However, the judgment by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa in the Panama Papers case clearly establishes that if members violate their oath, the Speaker must either make a decision or refer the matter to the Election Commission.”
The speaker categorically said that he does not believe in the politics of disqualifying anyone, as practiced by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He said, “If anyone violates constitutional boundaries or undermines the discipline of the house against party decisions, he will not hesitate to take action.”
He hoped that the government and opposition would engage in meaningful dialogue in the coming days to improve the atmosphere of the house, so that the Punjab Assembly could truly serve as the representative forum of the 120 million people of the province.