LAHORE: Legal and political experts have come up with divided views on Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s power to suspend the membership of any lawmaker of the provincial house to manipulate the results for the election to the slot of chief minister scheduled for April 16.

Opposition parties — the PML-N and the PPP — fear that Mr Elahi, who is a candidate of the ruling coalition — the PTI and the PML-Q — for the chief minister’s office, may suspend the membership of some of their lawmakers on the excuse of the ruckus by the treasury and opposition benches on April 3 when the voting was scheduled to be held.

PML-N nominee for the chief minister’s slot Hamza Shehbaz moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) to ‘preempt’ any such move and to hold the assembly session earlier than April 16.

The LHC on Wednesday rejected Hamza’s plea for holding the session before April 16, but ruled that no MPA shall be barred or obstructed in any manner from attending the April 16 session.

Lawyer Malik Awais Khalid asserts that it will become a mala fide action if Mr Elahi attempts to take any such step after the LHC orders.

“The court will take such a step as an attempt to sabotage its April 13 orders.”

Mr Malik argues that being one of the contestants in the race for the chief minister’s office, it would be an issue of conflict of interest if the speaker uses the powers that may in any way benefit him in the vote.

Former Punjab Assembly speaker Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, however, says as the LHC in its orders has not clearly imposed any restrictions on the powers of Mr Elahi as the speaker, he may use them to suspend the membership of any lawmaker.

But the step may not benefit the politician from Gujrat because Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari will be chairing the House proceedings during the voting on April 16 as per court orders and he will be enjoying all powers rested in the speaker.

He may revoke any [illegal] measures taken by Mr Elahi.

To be elected as chief minister, a candidate will need at least 186 votes in the 371-member Punjab Assembly. The PTI has 183 lawmakers in the house, PML-Q 10, PML-N 165, PPP seven, five are independent and one belongs to Rah-i-Haq.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2022