A delegation of PPP and PML-N lawmakers submitted on Monday night a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi in the Punjab Assembly, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said.
After opposition lawmakers including PPP Parliamentary Leader Hassan Murtaza, PML-Khawaja N’s Imran Nazir, PML-N Chief Whip Tahir Khalil Sindhu, and others arrived at the Punjab Assembly Secretariat and submitted the no-trust motion, Sanaullah confirmed it in an interview with a news channel.
It was formally received by Punjab Assembly Secretary Inayat Hussain Lak.
According to the opposition’s document, “Members of the Provincial Assembly from the PPP and PML-N have lost all confidence in CM Pervaiz Elahi’s ability to lead the house as required by the Constitution.”
It added that Elahi had “massacred democratic traditions” and thus he had lost the confidence of the majority of members of the house.
The no-trust move was moved under “Article 136 of the Constitution read with Rule 23 of the Rules of Procedure Provincial Assembly of Punjab (PAP), 1997”.
According to Article 136, the province assembly may approve a motion for a vote of no-confidence against the chief minister if it is presented by not less than 20% of the total membership.
If the resolution referred to in clause (1) is passed by a majority of the total membership of the Provincial Assembly, the Chief Minister shall cease to hold office.
Separately, a no-trust motion has also been submitted under Article 53 of the Constitution against PA Speaker Sibtain Khan.
PML-N’s Nazir, after the submission, said the no-confidence motion was submitted against the chief minister, PA speaker, and deputy speaker.
He said there were signatures of “around 150 members” and there were more members coming from outside Lahore.
“A constitutional and legal action has been undertaken after consultation from constitutional experts and we are completely confident,” Nazir added.
Punjab governor asks Elahi to seek vote of confidence
Baligh ur Rehman, the governor of Punjab, gave Elahi the order to request a vote of confidence from the assembly on December 21 as soon as the resolution was filed.
In an order, shared by the PML-N on Twitter, the governor said that the chief minister has “lost the confidence of his party president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and members of his own party belonging to the PML-Q”.
“It is widely known that over the last few weeks serious differences of opinion erupted between two coalition parties of the ruling alliance in the Punjab Assembly i.e. PTI and PML-Q regarding political strategies, dissolution of the assembly, development schemes, and transfers of public officials,” it stated.
The order highlighted that the aforementioned differences became evident after the appointment of a PTI member — namely Khayal Ahmed — to the provincial assembly without the knowledge of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
It added that the most recent evidence of “cracks between the ruling alliance” was the resignation of a cabinet member after he engaged in a “verbal spat” with Elahi.
“The chief minister has stated in a TV program on Dec 4 that he is not going to dissolve the provincial assembly until March 2023, a position which is completely at odds with the PTI’s public opinion on the issue.”
The order also made note of CM Elahi’s criticism of Imran over yesterday’s remarks in an interview regarding the former army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Governor Rehman highlighted these circumstances in his declaration that Elahi “does not command the confidence” of the PA, and he subsequently called a session under Section 130(7) of the Constitution for the no-trust vote against Elahi on December 21 at 4 pm.
Section 130(7) states: “The Chief Minister shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor, but the Governor shall not exercise his powers under this clause unless he is satisfied that the Chief Minister does not command the confidence of the majority of the members of the Provincial Assembly, in which case he shall summon the Provincial Assembly and require the Chief Minister to obtain a vote of confidence from the Assembly.”
