LAHORE: Lawmakers belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) challenged the suspension of their Punjab Assembly membership in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday.
Parliamentarians including Zeeshan Rafiq, Uzma Bukhari, and Samiullah Khan, among others, have challenged Speaker Sibtain Khan’s order in the high court.
“Speaker Punjab Assembly has unconstitutionally and illegally suspended the assembly membership,” they petitioned to the court. “Petitioners are being subjected to political victimization,” according to the petition.
“Suspension of the assembly membership is a violation of the rules,” the members pleaded to the court.
“PML-N members have been alleged of rioting and misconduct, while PTI’s and other members were involved in the ruckus,” PML-N pleaded.
“Targeting the PML-N members is discrimination, the court should declare the notification of suspending the assembly membership as void,” the PML-N members pleaded.
The petitioners have also requested the court to declare the election of the speaker of the Punjab Assembly as unlawful as “it was held unlawfully,” according to the petition.
The affected legislators included Zeeshan Rafiq, Uzma Bukhari, Samiullah Khan, Mian Abdur Rauf, Malik Waheed, Saba Sadiq, Rabia Nusrat, Rabia Naseem Farooqi, Rahila Naeem, Zaibun Nisa Awan, Kanwal Pervaiz, Gulnaz Shahzadi, Nafisa Amin, Rana Afzal, Ali Bukhsh Chattha, Sadia Nadeem, Rahat Afza and Sumbul Malik.
The speaker’s suspension order said when Usman Buzdar was moving a resolution during Saturday’s session to condemn the ECP for disqualifying PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case, the opposition lawmakers hampered the proceedings notwithstanding the speaker’s requests.
