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The no-confidence motion against Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi was dismissed on Sunday after filer Samiullah Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) was absent at the time it was tabled in the House.
The session, convened with Waseem Khan Badozai of the Panel of Chairmen serving as speaker, was adjourned within 10 minutes despite starting over two hours later than its initially scheduled time of 12:30 p.m. At its outset, the speaker called out the name of Samiullah Khan to formally move the motion and proceed toward a vote. However, despite repeated calls for his appearance, Khan failed to show up. Subsequently, Badozai disposed of the motion and deferred the session until June 6.
The no-confidence motions against Speaker Pervaiz Elahi—submitted by the PMLN—and Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari—submitted by the PTI—were both on the agenda of the Punjab Assembly for Sunday. However, the session was delayed as lawmakers were barred from entering the premises, with the Assembly staff claiming they too were prevented from entering the building.
The heavy police deployment had barricaded different spots on Lahore’s Mall Road, including all routes leading from the C.M. House and Aiwan-e-Iqbal to the Punjab Assembly.
Following the dismissal of the no-trust motion, the PMLN announced that it was submitting a fresh motion of no-confidence. “There is no bar on how soon a motion of no-confidence can be filed after an earlier one has been dismissed,” a senior PMLN leader told media. It was re-submitted in the evening.
Earlier, PMLN leader Ataullah Tarar claimed that lawmakers of his party and the PPP were being prevented from entering the provincial assembly. “Speaker Pervaiz Elahi has brought goons from Gujrat,” he alleged. “You [Elahi] are disrespecting the House,” he said, adding that media personnel should also be allowed access to the session so they could the “reality” of the situation.
He also said that the Election Commission of Pakistan had not yet de-notified the 25 dissident lawmakers of the PTI and the PMLN considered them members of the House until it did so.
The PMLQ, meanwhile, accused the PMLN of trying to instigate unrest after Punjab police arrested Punjab Assembly Director-General for Parliamentary Affairs Rai Mumtaz on Sunday morning, hours ahead of the session. A spokesperson of the Punjab Assembly claimed that the houses of Punjab Assembly Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti and Coordination Secretary Inayatullah were also raided.