4 heads of PA panels removed through no-trust move

LAHORE: The opposition in the Punjab Assembly suffered another setback as four chairpersons of the PA standing committees were removed through no-confidence motion, moved by the ruling party MPAs.

There are 13 standing committees in the Punjab Assembly which are headed by opposition MPAs.

The Punjab Assembly witnessed a significant political development as the ruling party successfully passed motions of no-confidence against four opposition members serving as chairpersons of standing committees. A day ago, 26 opposition MPAs were suspended by the speaker for misconduct for a period of 15 days, which deprived this camp of requisitioning the assembly session for at least two weeks.

Already, after the court’s verdict, the PTI could not get its quota of reserved seats, whereas it is also losing the headship of the standing committees. Saima Kanwal, an opposition MPA, was removed from the chairpersonship of the special education committee following a successful no-confidence motion. Murtaza Iqbal, former chairman of the standing committee on Management and Professional Development Department, was also dismissed. Ansar Iqbal, chairman of the standing committee on Literacy and Non-Formal Basic Education, was removed from his position. Ahsan Ali, chairman stansing committee on colonies was also removed.

Moreover, motions have also been moved by the government to remove other opposition MPAs chairing the standing committees. The government members are actively working to unseat opposition lawmakers from their lead roles in key standing committees. This move marks an aggressive shift in the internal politics of the Punjab Assembly and indicates increasing friction between treasury and opposition benches.

Opposition leader Ahmad Khan Bachar and other members strongly protested against this development. The opposition MPAs gathered outside the Punjab Assembly and chanted slogans against the government while condemning the victimisation. The ruling party MPAs, during the last day of the post-budget session, justified and supported the decision.