LAHORE: The Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, Malik Ahmad Khan, has suspended 26 members of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for 15 sessions. He also announced that a reference against these members will be sent to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) today.
According to the Speaker, the action was taken due to chaos created by PTI members during recent sessions. He said the lawmakers shouted slogans, pushed other members, and tore official documents. As a result, all 26 were suspended for violating the assembly’s rules and order.
The suspended lawmakers include Malik Fahad Masood, Muhammad Tanveer Aslam, Syed Riffat Mehmood, Yasir Mahmood Qureshi, Kaleemullah Khan, Muhammad Ansar Iqbal, Ali Asif, Zulfiqar Ali, Ahmed Mujtaba Chaudhry, and Shahid Javed. Others include Muhammad Ismail, Khayal Ahmad, Shehbaz Ahmad, Tayyab Rasheed, Imtiaz Mehmood, Ali Imtiaz, Rashid Tufail, Rai Muhammad Murtaza, Khalid Zubair Nisar, Chaudhry Muhammad Ijaz Shafi, Saima Kanwal, Muhammad Naeem, Sajjad Ahmad, Rana Aurangzeb, Shoaib Amir, and Usama Asghar.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Speaker Malik Ahmad said the reference would be sent to the ECP the same day. He stressed the importance of discipline and dignity in the assembly, saying it was his responsibility to protect the house’s sanctity.
He added that while protest is a democratic right, it must stay within constitutional and legal boundaries. “No member can throw books or disrespect the house,” he said. “If anyone violates the rules, it is my duty to stop them from entering the assembly.”