Courtesy Government of Punjab
No vote takes place, with opposition leaders declaring the adjournment ‘unconstitutional’
A session of the Punjab Assembly convened to vote on the next chief minister of the province was on Sunday adjourned till April 6 (Wednesday) without any voting taking place amid protests by opposition lawmakers.
The provincial assembly was to vote today to elect a new leader of the house, with Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi being fielded as the government’s candidate against Hamza Shahbaz of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) for the opposition. In a surprise development, Shahbaz had secured the support of the Jahangir Khan Tareen (JKT) group, a dissident faction of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
Addressing media, PMLN leader Khawaja Saad Rafique said the adjournment of the session, without cause, was “unconstitutional.”
Prior to the commencement of the session, the press gallery of the assembly was locked, barring journalists from covering the proceedings. Several journalists protested the move and demanded they be allowed access but it was not granted.
The PA session, overall, lasted less than 10 minutes before it was adjourned.
Former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar had resigned earlier this week, with the government allowing him to continue to hold office until his successor is elected. His resignation had come the day that a delegation of opposition lawmakers had submitted a no-trust motion against him with the Punjab Assembly Secretariat. The PTI had then announced the PML-Q’s Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as its candidate for the chief minister.
To be elected as chief minister, the candidate for chief minister needs at least 186 votes in the 371-member house. Ahead of the vote, the government was boasting 183 members to the opposition’s 186.