LAHORE: The united opposition in Punjab has submitted a no-confidence motion against Punjab Assembly Speaker Parvez Elahi as expected.
According to Aaj News, a delegation of the opposition submitted the motion to Special Secretary Aamir Habib.
MPAs Samiullah Khan, Tahir Khalil and Ashraf Rasool were part of the delegation that included Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Mirza Javed and Mian Abdur Rauf.
The Punjab Assembly has been mired in controversy following its sessin on April 3 in which it was expected that Pervez Elahi would be elected as new chief minister. However, the session was adjourned minutes after being in session - similar in template to what transpired in the National Assemebly on the same day when the lower house of parliament was expected to vote on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
It was due to what transpired prior to the PA session, with then govenror, Chaudhry Sarwar, accused of engaging in backdoor talks with the PML-N over the Punjab chief minister slot. The PTI replaced the Punjab chief minister while the session was adjourned till April 6.
It must be mentioned here that the united opposition in Punjab - comprising the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan People's Party - had submitted a no-confidence motion in the against Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on March 28. Buzdar was asked to step down as the PTI offered the Punjab PM slot to the PML-Q in return for the party's support in the no-confidence motion against the premier.
More drama followed with the Punjab Assembly deputy speaker, with speaker Elahi now a candidate for the chief minister's slot, adjourned the session till April 16, ostensibly for time to repair the damages cause to the House and lobby during the melee on April 3.
In another drastic turn of events, the PA deputy speaker claimed that he wasn't being allowed to call the Punjab Assembly session, while law-enforcement locked the PA gate and placed barbed wire on it. Meanwhile, the PTI submitted a no-confidence motion against its own party's deputy speaker, who had been given the authority of the speaker with Pervez Elahi becoming the candidate for the chief minister slot.
