Punjab Assembly: membership of 27 MPs suspends

LAHORE: In a significant move, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan on Friday suspended the membership of 27 treasury MPs who were elected on reserved and women seats designated for the Sunni Ittehad Council, in accordance with the directives of the Supreme Court.

The suspension came to pass following a point of order raised by the Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Rana Aftab, who highlighted the apex court’s ruling in the Sunni Ittehad Council reserved seats case.

During the assembly session, Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan read out the Supreme Court’s decision, emphasizing that the implementation of the court’s order regarding the suspension of members would take immediate effect. The announcement garnered a favourable response from the desk of the Sunni Ittehad Council.

Among the MPs whose membership was suspended are Sadia Muzaffar, Amira Khan, Fiza Maimoona, Soumia Atta, Abida Bashir, Rahat Afza, Maqsudaan Bibi, and Rukhsana Shafiq Tahsin Fawad. Additionally, Maria Talal, Farzana Abbas, and Sajda Naveed saw their memberships suspended.

The membership of Shaughta Faisal, Nasreen Riaz, Uzma Butt, and Afshan Hassan was also frozen pending further orders from the Supreme Court. Notably, MPs Syeda Samreen Taj and Samira Nazir, who were elected on PML-Q tickets, were also affected by the decision. Shahrbanu, Zeiba Ghafoor, Kanwal Nauman, Rubina Nazir, and Saima Zahid were among the suspended MPs.

Furthermore, the suspension extended to three minority MPs, including Tariq Masih, Wasim Anjum, and Basrooji.

The move underscores the ongoing legal and political dynamics within the Punjab Assembly, signaling a broader recalibration of parliamentary representation in light of judicial rulings.