CM Parvez Elahi takes vote of confidence in controversial process

CM inaugurates Hurmat-e-Quran Kareem Portal
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LAHORE, Jan 12 (APP): Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has taken vote of confidence by getting 186 votes in a controversial voting procedure in the Punjab Assembly, on late Wednesday night.

The opposition boycotted the vote of confidence procedure after blaming that rules of the assembly and constitution were violated by the PA Speaker. Members Punjab Assembly Raja Basharat and Aslam Iqbal presented the resolution for the vote of confidence on which the Speaker adopted the process.

Earlier the Punjab Assembly session, chaired by Speaker Sibtain Khan, started 1 hour and 49 minutes late on Wednesday afternoon with the protest and noise by the opposition members.

The opposition members were demanding to take vote of confidence by Chief Minister Parvez Elahi.

The Speaker asked the members to allow the session to run and have their seats.

After few speeches, the Speaker terminated the question hour. The government members criticized the opposition for not expressing serious attitude on the assembly business. Whereas the opposition was continuously demanding the government to take vote of trust according to the constitution.

The session was suspended several times by the Speaker and then at about 12:10 a.m. the session was started in which the process of vote of confidence was adopted.

After getting the vote of confidence, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, in his address, thanked the members of the house for expressing their trust in him besides thanking PTI chairman Imran Khan and his team.

Meanwhile, Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Interior and Legal Affairs Attaullah Tarar and MPA Muhammad Khan, rejecting the procedure of the vote of confidence by the Speaker, declared it a bogus and illegal action while talking to media outside the assembly.

They said that the Speaker did not adopt the rules and no nomination of election agents of the opposition was allowed. They alleged that Chaudhry Parvez Elahi did not have number of 186 of the members and cheated the house. They said that the court would be given evidences that several members were even not present in the country.

By Shafek Koreshe

A Senior Journalist serving as Director Digital News for the Associated Press of Pakistan; with 30 years experience in covering major national, international news stories, well-traveled; covered summits, conflict zones and special assignments.

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