From Abid Usman
LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly has decided to put the brakes on further action against 26 suspended opposition members until ongoing talks between the government and the opposition reach a conclusion.
According to government sources, the assembly speaker has directed the secretariat to hold off on any new disciplinary measures while negotiations continue. The Assembly Secretariat had earlier planned to proceed with penalties against 19 of the suspended lawmakers.
Insiders revealed that fines imposed on 10 members for damaging Assembly property have also been put on hold. These lawmakers were earlier served notices, but the issuance of second notices has now been held back.
Additionally, the deduction of fines from their salaries – amounting to over Rs2 million – has been temporarily stopped.It has also come to light that a no-confidence move against nine more opposition chairmen has been paused. Earlier, four opposition chairmen were already removed from their posts through similar no-confidence motions moved by the treasury benches.
The government had earlier resolved to remove 13 opposition members from the chairmanship of standing committees. However, with the political temperature cooling and backdoor negotiations underway, a softer approach appears to be in play – for now.
Earlier, Discussions between the Punjab Assembly speaker and opposition members regarding the suspension of 26 lawmakers ended without any breakthrough.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Opposition Leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar said that dialogue took place with Muhammad Ahmad Khan and other government members, but today’s meeting did not yield any results. He added that another meeting is expected in the next two to three days. “No one has asked for an apology — this issue is tied to our party’s stance. Pray that a positive outcome emerges. Our 26 members have been suspended and fined. The commotion occurred from both sides, and the Speaker is reviewing all aspects,” he said.
Bhachar also clarified that this is just the initial stage and there is no deadlock. “Talks are ongoing, and I can’t say much at this point, but the process will continue,” he said. Meanwhile, Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman stated that negotiations with the opposition, led by the Speaker, continued today.
“Some matters are yet to be finalized, but the opposition has agreed on many points. The people of Punjab want the Assembly to function with dignity and respect. We will end the culture of chaos, destruction, and violence in the Assembly,” he added.
The controversy stems from a June 28 protest by PTI lawmakers during a speech by the Punjab Chief Minister in the Assembly. In response, Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan suspended 26 opposition members and announced that disqualification references against them would be sent to the Election Commission.
Meanwhile, the government has already notified its negotiation committee to handle the matter.
The committee includes Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman, Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, Samiullah Khan, Rana Muhammad Arshad, and Industries Minister Chaudhry Shafay Hussain.
Other members of the ruling committee include Syed Ali Haider Gilani, Chaudhry Iftikhar Chhachhar, Raheela Khadim Hussain, Amjad Ali Javed, Ahmad Iqbal, and Shoaib Siddiqui.
