PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday expressed confidence in Chief Minister Mahmood Khan after the opposition withdrew its no-trust motion against him as anti-US sloganeering and rumpus marred the proceedings.

Eighty-eight out of 94 lawmakers of the ruling PTI reposed their confidence in the leader of the house. MPA Sultan Mohammad Khan moved the resolution.

PPP MPA Nighat Yasmin Orakzai fell conscious while rushing towards the seat of Minister for Social Welfare Anwar Zeb Khan. Chief Minister Mahmood Khan tried to stop her; however, she fell unconscious on her way and was taken away on a stretcher for first aid to Lady Reading Hospital.

PTI lawmakers kept chanting slogans of “America ka jo yaar hai, ghaddar hai, ghaddar hai” (the friend of America is a traitor).

House reposes confidence in Mahmood Khan amid anti-US sloganeering; PPP’s Nighat Yasmin falls unconscious while quarrelling with minister

Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani had on Sunday evening convened the sitting to dispose of the motion of no-confidence against CM Khan.

At the outset of the proceedings, Speaker Ghani announced that the assembly secretariat had received a notice for withdrawal of the no-trust motion. He said the notice carried the signatures of opposition MPAs Sardar Hussain Babak and Khushdil Khan of the Awami National Party and Sobia Shahid of the PML-N. He said the signatures of other members of the opposition were missing in the withdrawal notice.

The chair gave the floor to Sardar Babak, parliamentary leader of the ANP, to explain his point of view about the submission and withdrawal of the notice.

Mr Babak said the opposition had submitted the notice keeping in view political turmoil in the country. He said he withdrew the notice on behalf of other members of the opposition. Thirty-six members of the opposition had signed the notice.

The ANP leader said the opposition had submitted the notice for no-confidence motion following reports about possible dissolution of the KP Assembly.

“Sole purpose of the notice was to protect the assembly from dissolution, not to bring down the government of Mahmood Khan,” he said, adding that the opposition wanted the assembly to complete its tenure and decided to withdraw the notice.

Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal MPA Inayatullah Khan, who belongs to Jamaat-i-Islami, denied that he had signed the notice, saying his party was not part of the no-trust motion against the chief minister, though Sardar Babak had discussed the matter with him. He said JI had a policy that it would not take part in any no-confidence motion.

Treasury benches attempted to interrupt Mr Babak and passed sarcastic remarks. They also raised slogans against the United States as well as the opposition.

Taunting remarks of the PTI lawmakers irritated Nighat Orakzai who rushed towards the treasury benches and started trading barbs with Anwar Zeb Khan.

CM Mahmood Khan rose from his seat and tried to stop Ms Orakzai from a possible scuffle with his cabinet member. She fell on the floor and became unconscious. The assembly’s staff immediately arranged a stretcher and rushed her to Lady Reading Hospital for further treatment.

The chief minister could not deliver his speech due to ruckus.

Speaker Mushtaq Ghani adjourned the session till May 10.

Earlier, the parliamentary party of the PTI reposed confidence in the leadership of ousted prime minister Imran Khan.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2022