Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari on Friday suspended three PML-N MPAs until the prorogation of the current session over their alleged “disorderly conduct”, a notification issued by his office said.
Azma Zahid Bokhari, Muhammad Ashraf Rasool and Mian Abdul Rauf of the PML-N were suspended after they “started raising slogans and derogatory remarks” against Mazari despite the chair’s requests for them to calm down.
According to the notification, the opposition members raised “hue and cry” during the Question Hour over a bill regarding local government. Mazari told the opposition members not to “hamper the proceedings of the House”, following which the aforementioned lawmakers started raising slogans against him.
“The business of the Assembly was severely hampered by the unruly and grossly disorderly conduct of the above members,” the notification read. The deputy speaker, exercising the authority granted to him under Rule 210 of the Rules of Procedure of the Punjab Assembly, ordered Bokhari, Rasool and Rauf to “withdraw” from the assembly but to no avail.
Following their failure to leave, Mazari suspended the three MPAs until the completion of the ongoing session that is expected to continue for another week.
Later while speaking to reporters Rauf said: “[The] speaker is the custodian of the House but he did not [let us] speak today.”
He further claimed that “inappropriate words” had been used for Bokhari.
Malik Ahmad Khan of the PML-N also protested the deputy speaker’s move and blamed Prime Minister Imran Khan for promoting a “negative culture”. He accused the government of “insulting the opposition”.
“If they cannot talk to female MPAs appropriately then they have no right to run the government,” he said.
