ISLAMABAD:
As a fresh political storm brews in Punjab, PTI on Friday announced that it will challenge the suspension of 26 of its MPAs from the Punjab Assembly through legal channels and public mobilisation.
The opposition party decried the speaker’s “unconstitutional and partisan” conduct, asserting it was left with no choice but to escalate both inside and outside the assembly.
At a joint press conference in Islamabad, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar and senior lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa condemned the Punjab government’s actions.
The party leaders denounced the “theft of mandate” on February 8 as Bhachar accused the political elite of installing a “fake chief minister” while dragging PTI workers out of their homes. “A worthless government that couldn’t even use its past budget… If we have offended the dignity of a so-called ‘second queen’, then so be it, we’ll keep doing so.”
Bhachar vowed that if the party was thrown out of the assembly, it would simply set up a “real assembly” on the streets. “We don’t care about seats, but history will remember you.”
Speaking at the occasion, Sardar Latif Khosa slammed the government for repeatedly violating the constitution, particularly with the 26th amendment followed by the suspension of 26 MPAs. He lamented the erosion of human rights: “They want to bring fascism to K-P; this hurts democracy.”
“The Constitutional Bench’s verdict on reserved seats was shameful, the election commission’s even more so.” He defended the rights of jailed leaders and workers to meet Imran Khan, criticising inaction on reports of corruption at Adiala Jail.
Similarly, Salman Akram Raja slammed the administration for writing a “history of cruelty and oppression”. “No member can be forced out over protest,” he said, adding the party would turn to courts, but doubted the rule of law still existed.
