Pakistan: Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Mazari loses no-confidence motion

Lahore [Pakistan], July 30 : Pakistan Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari on Friday lost the no-confidence motion passed by the provincial assembly, after he annulled 10 votes during the polls, a move which was deemed to be "unconstitutional."
On Friday, after PTI's Sibtain Khan took charge as the new speaker of the House, former law minister Raja Basharat presented a resolution seeking permission to initiate no-confidence proceedings against Mazari as the deputy speaker. The resolution was approved for voting.
The government lawmakers required 186 votes for the ouster of the PA deputy speaker. The PA lawmakers voted on the no-trust motion against Mazari, ARY News reported.
After midnight, the voting began in the Punjab Assembly on the no-trust motion against Mazari through a secret ballot in which 186 lawmakers voted against Mazari, bringing his term as the deputy speaker to a premature end.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Dr Yasmin Rashid cast the first vote on the no-confidence motion, whereas, Iftikhar Gilani cast the second vote from the ruling party, ARY News reported.
The session was then adjourned till 1 pm on Sunday, during which Mazari's successor will be elected. On Saturday, candidates for deputy speaker will submit their nomination papers, Sibtain said.
The Punjab Assembly, on July 28, passed a no-trust motion against Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari following the election for Punjab chief minister.
According to details, Parliamentary Leader in the Provincial Assembly Raja Bisharat submitted a no-confidence motion against Dost Muhammad Mazari, which was passed by the house's majority.
Following this, Waseem Khan - a member Panel of Chair who was presiding over the session - adjourned it till Friday.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Sibtan Khan was elected as the new speaker of the Punjab Assembly today.
The session was chaired by the Panel of Chairman Wasim Badozai. Subsequently, Badozai called security inside the House after Khokhar raised objections, reported Dawn.
Sibtain Khan was a joint candidate of Imran Khan's PTI and the PML-Q. Notably, the Punjab Assembly speaker's seat fell vacant after the former office bearer, Pervez Elahi was elected as the Punjab chief minister.
After obtaining a total of 185 votes against the 175 votes obtained by PML-N's Saif ul Malook Khokhar, who was the Opposition's joint candidate, Sibtain Khan came out victorious.
Four votes were rejected during the session presided over by PTI MPA Waseem Khan Badozai. Prior to the commencement of the voting process, PML-N's Khalil Tahir Sindhu tried to raise a point of objection related to the position of the polling booth, saying that cameras were installed above it.
Following his objection, the location of the polling booth was changed, as per the media portal.
PTI finalised Sibtain Khan for the Punjab Assembly Speaker's slot, whereas, two names were shortlisted for the position of deputy speaker including Wasiq Qayyum and Taimur Masood.
Notably, Mazari announced Hamza Shahbaz, son of Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, as the chief minister of the province in the recent elections.
He cited Article 63A of the Constitution and rejected 10 votes of PML out of 186 total votes received by Elahi against 179 votes by Hamza Shahbaz of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) since its Chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain wrote a letter to his party members to vote for Shahbaz.
After the election, PTI's and PML-Q's parliamentary parties held a meeting and deliberated on Mazari's ruling. They reached Supreme Court (SC) registry in Lahore late at night and submitted a petition against the CM Punjab election.
On July 23, Pakistan Supreme Court summoned Mazari for citing Article 63A of the Constitution and not counting the votes of defecting lawmakers as well as electing PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz as Punjab Chief Minister.
Later, the top court declared Mazari's ruling in the Punjab chief minister's election "illegal" and ruled that PTI's candidate Pervaiz Elahi will be the new CM of the province.
The Supreme Court, in an 11-page short order, said, "We find that the understanding and implementation of the said short judgment as well as the provisions of Article 63A(1)(b) of the Constitution by the Deputy Speaker, Provincial Assembly of Punjab, Lahore (Respondent No.1) was patently incorrect and erroneous and cannot be sustained."
The order then declared Elahi as the duly elected chief minister of Punjab as it ruled that he had obtained 186 votes compared to Hamza's 179, following which the party observed a 'Thanksgiving Day'.
Pakistan's President Arif Alvi in the wee hours of Wednesday at the Aiwan-e-Sadar administered the oath to Pervez Elahi as the new Chief Minister of Punjab.