Reference against 26 members; Punjab Assembly Speaker, opposition agree to continue talks

Provincial government and opposition agree to form committee comprising senior assembly members

Lahore: It has been agreed to continue negotiations between the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly and the opposition on the issue of sending references against 26 opposition members.

The Speaker and the opposition have decided to hold the next meeting on Sunday. The parliamentary leaders’ meetings will be held in the Punjab Assembly on Sunday, which will be chaired by the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan.

In the meeting, the government and the opposition clarified their respective positions. The meeting lasted for more than an hour and various issues came under consideration.

The meeting heard the requests made by the government members, during the hearing, the government and the opposition proposed to hold negotiations. Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan welcomed the proposal for negotiations.

It was agreed to form a committee consisting of senior members of the assembly by the provincial government and the opposition. Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan appreciated the negotiation process as a preferred parliamentary process.

The suspended opposition members were led by Opposition Leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachar. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, Chief Whip Rana Muhammad Arshad and other important leaders were present to assist the Speaker.

According to sources, the opposition members have decided to take the path of reconciliation.

Opposition consultation

Before meeting the Speaker Punjab Assembly, a consultation was held in the opposition chamber for the suspended members of the assembly. In the consultation chaired by Opposition Leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bachhar, the suspended members of the assembly considered all the options.

While talking to the opposition leader in consultation, the opposition members said that they cannot do anything for the people and the party by staying outside the assembly.

In the consultation with the opposition leader, 60 out of 105 opposition members preferred the course of action of sitting in the assemblies.

Three conditions were also decided in the consultation, which were placed before the speaker. The top one among these conditions was to remove the fine of Rs 2 million on the suspended members.

It should be noted that after the Speaker Punjab Assembly received a reference for disqualification, the suspended members were given the opportunity for a personal hearing.