Lahore:
The Assembly of Punjab, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, said inadmissible requests submitted by the legislators of the Treasury requiring the disqualification of 26 Pakistani deputies Tehreek-E-insaf (PTI) suspended for an alleged abusive and violent behavior. Instead, he advised the petitioners to obtain a declaration from a court of court of jurisdiction competent before approaching the speaker again.
President Khan made the decision under article 210 (3) of the rules of procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, 1997. The 26 PTI legislators had been suspended following their disruption of the speech of chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on June 27.
In his detailed decision, the president said: “Although serious legal and constitutional violations, in particular the violation of the constitutional oath, were alleged by the applicants, these violations must first be established in a competent court or court of jurisdiction before deciding on the question of the question of the qualification of the election committee.
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He also added: “People are at the origin of all power, and thanks to their vote, they give confidence – are not defeated without the most serious reasons. Disqualifying a representative is not simply to silence a voice – it is the prayer of the will. For an elected house is not only a law chamber.
President Khan rejected the appeal granted by candidates to previous ones such as the Panama Papers affair and related jurisprudence under articles 199 and 184 (3), calling for such comparisons “not maintained for constitutional and democratic reasons”.
He warned that entertaining such petitions would erode freedom of expression within the Chamber and effectively cancel the role of the opposition. Citing article 19, he stressed that the robust – even abrasive degree – is protected, “subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by law”, which are described in the rules of the Assembly, and not by threats of permanent disqualification.
He said, “May the well-being of the people be supreme law. The assembly must remain a forum where dissent is expressed, not extinguished. The electorate is better served when the house disciplines internal disorder while preserving the representation chosen by the electorate. ”
Stressing the need to improve legislative performance, the speaker noted that many members lack awareness of assembly rules, legislative procedures and the effective use of permanent committees. He stressed the importance of targeted training to ensure that the Assembly confirms parliamentary supremacy and serves public interest.
“As elected representatives, we must legislate in a responsible manner, put an end to political victimization and work together to maintain the supremacy of the People’s Assembly and protect our democracy,” he said.
Calling for an interpretite dialogue in the spirit of the Charter of Democracy, he said: “Political parties are the real guards of democracy. There should be a significant dialogue among all the parties on the effective functioning of the Assembly to ensure that it serves the interests of the people and remains a forum for real debate and cooperation. ”
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President Khan has firmly criticized certain constitutional provisions, in particular articles 62, 63, and article 58 (2) b) deceased, describing them as relics of authoritarian regimes.
“These provisions, imposed by dictators such as General Zia-UL-HAQ, were historically armed to unjustly target elected politicians. We have to end this vicious cycle. The case of Panama should not become another tool such as article 58 (2) (b), or we risk falling into a nihilist cycle where we repeat the same mistakes, “he said.
He warned against disqualifications based on simple allegations or techniques, which violates the presumption of innocence and erodes parliamentary legitimacy.
Citing previous examples such as the 1949 law on the disqualification of public representatives offices and the order of disqualification of elective organizations (EBDO) of 1959, he declared that these “stolen door tools” have always served non -democratic elements, often with accomplices political parties.
He called on the case of Panama a “trial” and declared that his use as preceding confined constitutional rights to the political association and to the representation under article 17.
“This destructive chain must be broken,” he said. “The very fact that the Constitution has been exploited in this way means that such difficult questions can be – and have been mounted.”
He concluded by promising to respect the parliamentary regime and the principles of representative democracy:
“During my mandate as a speaker, I will work to respect the parliamentary regime and the principles of representative constitutional democracy, as envisaged by the founding fathers of our great Islamic Republic.”
