Punjab Assembly suspends 26 opposition members for 15 sessions over protest

Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan suspended 26 opposition lawmakers for 15 sessions Friday following disruptive protests during Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's address to the provincial legislature.

The suspensions were issued under Assembly Rule 210 after opposition members tore up agenda papers, hurled pieces at government benches, and used what the Speaker termed "offensive and unparliamentary language" during the CM's speech.

The protests erupted when Nawaz responded to PTI leadership's recent comments about former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif being politically sidelined.

The suspended members violated multiple assembly rules, including provisions against interrupting speakers, maintaining silence, and engaging in disorderly conduct. Opposition members also allegedly blocked treasury members' pathways with threatening gestures.

Of the 26 suspended lawmakers, 17 belong to the Sunni Ittehad Council, which became the political home for PTI-affiliated candidates after the party lost its election symbol, while eight are directly listed as PTI members.

Speaker Khan said in his written order that while protest is an inherent right within the parliamentary process, it must be conducted within reasonable bounds. He emphasized that the sanctity and decorum of the House would be preserved at all costs.

Suspended Member of the Punjab Assembly, Ali Imtiaz, reacting to the decision, stated that the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly appears to be delivering rulings solely based on the government's narrative, while completely disregarding the opposition's perspective.

Opposition member Usama Asghar Ali Gujjar added, "Certainly this matter was handled by the speaker in a one-sided way. We were not called, no opportunity was given to us to respond. The next morning we found out that we are suspended, just because one personality - CM Maryam - was offended."

Separately, the Assembly Secretary General fined 10 opposition members over Rs200,000 each for damaging assembly property, including broken microphones, during a June 16 budget session incident.

The suspended members include Kaleem Ullah Khan, Muhammad Ansar Iqbal, Ali Asif, Zulfiqar Ali, Muhammad Mujtaba Chaudhry, Shahid Javed, Malik Fahad Masood, Tanveer Aslam, Ijaz Shafi, Rafat Mahmood, Khalid Zubair, Saima Kanwal, Muhammad Naeem, Sajjad Ahmad, Rana Aurangzeb, Shoaib Amir, Yasir Mahmood, Muhammad Ismail, Khayal Ahmad Castro, Shahbaz Ahmad, Tayyab Rashid, Imtiaz Mahmood, Ali Imtiaz, Rashid Tufail, Rai Muhammad Murtaza, and Osama Ali Gujjar.