Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has submitted a no-confidence motion against Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari in the Assembly Secretariat, reported Aaj News. Mazari is now constitutionally not allowed to summon the session of the assembly.

The session of the assembly will be held on April 16.

Earlier on Wednesday Mazari said the Assembly Secretariat was not following his orders and not issuing a notification for convening the provincial assembly today (Wednesday) to elect a new chief minister.

Without issuing a gazette notification, the session of the provincial assembly was not possible, he said, adding the Assembly Secretariat was opting for unconstitutional proceedings to pressure officials into not complying with orders, he told reporters.

He added that former Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was now a candidate for the chief minister slot and the authority of the speaker now rests with him.

Background

The united opposition in Punjab comprising the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan People's Party submitted a no-confidence motion in the Punjab Assembly Secretariat against Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on March 28.

The same day Buzdar tendered his resignation from the post, paving the way for Elahi - one of the allies of the former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government in the Centre - as the new candidate for the chief executive position. The leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz was the opposition's candidate.

A session of the provincial assembly was scheduled for the election of a new chief minister on April 3, but it was marred by violence and adjourned till April 6. Later, the session was delayed till April 16 due to the repair of damage in the House and lobby.