• Scuffle between women MPAs mars event
• Media barred from covering proceedings
• Building’s power disconnected while lawmakers still in house

LAHORE: The political crisis in Punjab deepened on Sunday after the deputy speaker adjourned the provincial assembly session for April 6 following an altercation between treasury and opposition members.

The Punjab Assembly’s extraordinary session was called to elect a new leader of the house, but the event was marred by an altercation between women MPAs from both sides of the aisle as women from the treasury benches tried to take away their party colleagues — who had chosen to side with the opposition in the election for the chief minister — back to their benches.

Later, opposition members and their allied groups in the Punjab Assembly ended their sit-in on Sunday evening after the Supreme Court set a hearing on Monday (today) in a case against the dismissal of a no-confidence motion against the prime minister.

All these developments took place away from the eyes of the media, as journalists were barred from entering the Press Gallery that was locked on the day.

The session to elect a new leader of the house was earlier called on Saturday, but was adjourned when the government side apparently felt they were short of the numbers, after the speaker read out the schedule for the election, which was to be held on Sunday.

Altercation

Meanwhile, explaining what went on behind the scenes, former Punjab governor Chaudhry Sarwar, who was unceremoniously dismissed late on Saturday night, pitched in, saying he was told that Mr Elahi could lose the CM’s election, and asked to adjourn the assembly session scheduled for Sunday. He claimed to have received instructions for dissolving the provincial assembly, should the government candidate lose in the House.

The provincial lawmakers walking out of the assembly hall on Sunday told the media that a brawl amongst the women MPs of both sides started when those from the treasury benches allegedly attempted to persuade their party’s women colleagues to return to the treasury benches. Slogans were also raised from both the benches.

In an attempt to prevent the treasury MPs from reaching their aisle, the opposition lawmakers reportedly ended up shoving some women members. “Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, who was going to contest the chief minister’s election, realised he was short of the numbers, so he planned a scuffle and sent women MPAs to the opposition benches to create such a situation that led Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari to adjourn the session,” claimed PML-N Punjab information secretary Azma Bukhari.

She stressed the opposition had enough support to secure a victory for its candidate for the top office, and said she personally recorded 199 MPAs sitting on their side.

On the other hand, Mr Elahi alleged the opposition created a ruckus in the House, so there was no option left for the deputy speaker but to adjourn the session. “The treasury had the support of at least 186 members in the House,” he claimed.

The PML-Q leader maintained the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MPAs were exercising their right to bring their party lawmakers -- who had defected to the opposition benches -- back to the treasury side. “As PTI members were bringing their colleagues back to the treasury benches, they were attacked,” Elahi told the media.

Parvez Elahi, meanwhile, told the media that the government had the required numbers to win the chief minister’s post, but the PML-N disrupted the session and the deputy speaker had to adjourn the session till April 6.

Answering a question, he said he could not even think of dissolving the assembly. “The chief minister’s election will be held in the next session on April 6,” he said.

Mr Elahi did not comment on Chaudhry Sarwar’s allegations against him, and said he would not say anything against the former governor. He, however, said the prime minister had chosen him for the chief ministership’s slot only six days ago, but Sarwar was enjoying the governorship for three-and-a-half years.

Answering a question, Mr Elahi said Aleem Khan and Jahangir Tareen had ceased to be politicians. Aleem should continue with his housing societies’ business and Tareen stay in London. “The April 6 assembly session will clear the mist befalling the political scene in Punjab,” he said.

Power turned off

At least 198 MPAs belonging to the PML-N, PPP and PTI factions — Jahangir Tareen, Aleem Khan and Malik Asad Khokhar groups — and Rah-i-Haq Party staged a sit-in in the provincial assembly.

The opposition remained inside the assembly even after the session was adjourned, while it was reported that a few hours later the air-conditioning and electricity of the building were switched off, water supply to the washrooms was suspended and no member was allowed to re-enter the House after getting food for Iftar.

Opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz warned Mr Elahi and the civil servants in the Punjab Assembly to restore all utilities, otherwise they would be held responsible. He later said that some fasting MPAs fainted because of heat and suffocation in the building, and there was also no water to make ablution for offering namaz.

Amza Bukhari of the PML-N recalled that Imran Khan had used women as human shields during his 126-day Islamabad sit-in when the PML-N was in power and the history was repeated in the Punjab Assembly on Sunday.

She challenged Assembly Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti to make footage of the house proceedings public to ascertain who created mayhem in the house at whose behest. She alleged that the secretary played a role of personal employee of Speaker Parvez Elahi during the whole saga.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2022