Suspended Punjab Assembly Members to be Reinstated

The acting Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, Zahid Iqbal Channar, has instructed the immediate reinstatement of 26 suspended opposition members. He stated that allowing them to return to their posts would demonstrate goodwill.

Addressing the assembly on Tuesday, Channar noted, “I’m not finding satisfaction in these proceedings without the presence of the opposition members.”

He emphasized that the involvement of opposition legislators is essential for productive parliamentary discussions and ordered that a notification be issued promptly to facilitate their return to the assembly.

Background of the Suspension

On June 27, PTI legislators staged a protest during a speech by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. The session devolved into chaos as the lawmakers encircled the speaker’s platform and chanted slogans.

In response, then-Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan suspended 26 members of the opposition for 15 sessions and imposed a fine of Rs200,000 each on 10 MPAs for allegedly “damaging public property.”

He also submitted references seeking disqualification to the Election Commission against the 26 PTI legislators for what he termed “unparliamentary conduct.”

Rejection of Disqualification Petitions

However, prior to this week’s announcement, the PA speaker formally rejected the petitions aimed at disqualifying the 26 PTI members, which followed productive discussions between the government and the opposition.

In his official written statement, he stressed that the speaker’s responsibility was more than simply forwarding requests to the election commission automatically. He warned that a superficial process could potentially “weaken the constitutional framework” and “restrict freedom of expression” within the provincial assembly.

He clarified that while disruptive actions in parliaments globally often receive strict responses, the severe accusations of legal and constitutional breaches must first be validated in a legitimate court or tribunal.

List of PTI-Backed MPAs

The PTI-backed opposition MPAs who will be reinstated include:

  • Malik Farhad Masood
  • Muhammad Tanveer Aslam
  • Syed Riffat Mehmood
  • Yasir Mehmood Qureshi
  • Kaleem Ullah Khan
  • Muhammad Ansar Iqbal
  • Ali Asif
  • Zulfiqar Ali
  • Ahmad Mujtaba Chaudhary
  • Shahid Javed
  • Muhammad Ismael
  • Khayal Ahmad
  • Shahbaz Ahmad
  • Tayyab Rashid
  • Imtiaz Mehmood
  • Ali Imtiaz
  • Rashid Tufail
  • Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal
  • Khalid Zubair Nisar
  • Ch Muhammad Ejaz Shafi
  • Saima Kanwal
  • Muhammad Naeem
  • Sajjad Ahmed
  • Rana, Aourang Zaib
  • Shuaib Ameer
  • Usama Asghar Ali Gujjar
Fines for Vandalism

In a separate development, 10 opposition legislators were fined over Rs2 million for destructive acts, including damaging microphones. This assessment was made based on available video evidence.

The individuals fined include Chaudhary Javed Kausar, Asad Abbas, Tanveer Aslam, Riffat Mehmood, Muhammad Ismael, Shahbaz Ahmad, Imtiaz Mehmood, Khalid Zubair, Rana Aourang Zaib, and Muhammad Ahsan Ali, each required to pay Rs203,550.