Dissidents won’t vote against PM: Punjab governor

LAHORE: The 17th convocation of Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) was held here Monday in which 14 degrees of PhD, 2,004 degrees of BCom, Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Bachelor of Architecture, BSc, BFA, Doctor of Pharmacy were awarded to the graduating students.

Around 630 female students of Government Graduate College for Women, Samanabad, 599 female students of Government Graduate College for Women, Cooper Road and 452 female students of Government Graduate College, Gulberg were also awarded degrees. A total of 818 female students were awarded medals and various honours. Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar presided over the first session of convocation while Justice (retd) Nasira Javid Iqbal was the chief guest of the second session. LCWU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Bushra Mirza, other officials, faculty members and students attended the ceremony. Later, talking to media, Ch Sarwar said it was expected that the elected members of the Assembly on party tickets would not vote against the Prime Minister.

The government's decision to go to the Supreme Court for the clarification of Article 63 on the issue of floor-crossing of members was 100 percent correct. It should be clear what penalty will be meted out to those who are involved in floor-crossing, he said adding the government would contest constitutionally and democratically. In the convocation, Punjab Governor/Chancellor also conferred honorary PhD degree on Nosheena Mobarik, a member of the British Parliament. Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar said that filing presidential reference in the Supreme Court on the issue of floor-crossing of the Assembly members was not a surrender but a constitutional and democratic right of the government. He said that the court must clarify once and for all that if a member was found involved in floor-crossing, how long would he be disqualified and what would be the penalty for him. If the government seeks guidance from the Supreme Court on any matter, then no one should object to it, he added.

Replying to a question on no-confidence move by the opposition, the governor said that the no-confidence move had been presented by the opposition, and now it was the responsibility of the opposition to get 172 votes for its approval. As far as the PTI parliamentarians are concerned, there is no doubt that these members have a constitutional, legal and moral obligation to vote according to the party policy and not to support any other party. “I expect that our members of the Assembly will not vote against the party”, he added.

Chaudhry Sarwar said that there would be important consultations and decisions on issues, including Kashmir, Palestine, and Afghanistan during the OIC conference. Addressing the convocation, the governor said that he had a firm belief that the dream of development of Pakistan could not be realised without the participation of women in the journey of development. Educated women must come forward in practical work.

The government is committed to providing social security and confidence to women. We strive to restore the confidence of our women by addressing the issues of domestic violence and gender inequality so that they should be able to use their best skills in the journey of collective development of the nation, he added.