The development comes after the LHC decision endorsing the governor’s powers to ask the CM to take a vote of confidence
LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry told reporters on Wednesday that Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi will receive a vote of confidence in the next 45 minutes.
As the Punjab Assembly session continued for the third day, lawmakers from both the finance ministry and the opposition clashed inside the house ahead of the trust vote.
The PTI chief’s announcement, meanwhile, came in an interview with a private news channel in which he said a total of “185 PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) lawmakers are present in the meeting,” while two members he was on his way to the convention.
The development comes after the Lahore High Court (LHC) ruled that “the governor has the power to ask the prime minister to take a vote of confidence during an ongoing session” – an idea the PTI has strongly rejected time and again.
Fawad, the former federal information minister, said the two lawmakers were on their way to the meeting from Chakwal and Bahawalpur, respectively, and once they “reach the assembly, Elahi will receive the vote of confidence”.
Ruckus continues on day three
Earlier today, chaos prevailed in the assembly during the third consecutive session, with members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) shouting slogans against the ruling government in the province.
Targeting CM Elahi, opposition legislators kept shouting ‘take vote of confidence’ and stood in front of Punjab Assembly speaker Sibtain Khan.
“Get a vote of confidence today,” the members kept demanding, and then the speaker asked them to take their seats.
As the voices grew louder, the speaker said: “Opposition members must remain in their seats. Your senior leadership is aware of your protest.”
“I say for the 15th time, take your seats. Otherwise I will take action according to the Constitution,” he said warning the opposition MPs.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raja Basarat tried to persuade the opposition to calm down.
Legislators Mirza Javed, Unaiza Fatima and Mian Rauf were asked to take their seats. While PTI members Sadia Sohail Rana, Seemabia Tahir and Sania Kamran raised anti-opposition slogans.
PML-N member Raheela Khadim Hussain refused to speak during the question break. “The Governor [Baligh-Ur-Rehman] has expressed no confidence in the chief minister,” he said while asking CM Elahi to first take the vote of confidence from the assembly.
Her speaker said the government would receive a vote of confidence. “Let the supreme court decide,” he added.
“If they don’t get a vote of confidence, they won’t stay in government,” President Sibtain said, calling on the opposition to launch a no-confidence vote on a “decision”.
Members on the opposition benches then raised slogans chanting ‘dacoit, dacoit’ when referring to CM Elahi.
When the call began, the speaker decided to calm the members down. “Azan is called, fear Allah,” he said.