Lahore:
Speaker Punjab Assembly, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, has declared declare the applications submitted by the Ministry of Finance’s lawmakers seeking disqualification of 26 Pakistani Tehreek-In-Insaf (PTI) MPAs suspended for alleged violent and violent behavior. Instead, he advised the petries to get a statement from a court or court of competent jurisdiction before approaching the speaker again.
Speaking Khan made the decision in accordance with Rule 210 (2).
In his detailed decision, the speaker said, “Although serious legal and constitutional violations, including violation of the constitutional oath, have been alleged by the applicants, these violations must first be established in a court or court in competent jurisdiction before I could decide whether a qualification question has arisen in the form of Article 63 (2) in the constitutional and referring to question of election. Pakistan. ”
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He further added, “the people are the source of all power, and through their vote they give confidence – not to be undone without the biggest reasons. Discrewing a representative is not just to dampen a voice – it is to free people. For a chosen house is not just a chamber of laws; it is echo of people’s will. This voice must not be dampened.”
Speaker Khan rejected the dependence on which applicants put on the precedent such as the Panama Papers case and related case law under Articles 199 and 184 (3), which called such comparisons “not maintained for constitutional and democratic reasons.”
He warned that entertaining such petitions would erode freedom of expression in the house and effectively cancel the role of the opposition. With reference to Article 19, he emphasized that robust – even grinding – debate is protected, “subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by law,” which is described in assembly rules, not by threats of permanent incompatibility.
He said, “Let people’s welfare be the supreme law. The assembly must remain a forum in which the dissent is expressed is not switched off.
When he highlights the need for improved legislative performance, the speaker noted that many members lack awareness of assembly rules, regulatory procedures and effective use of standing committees. He emphasized the importance of targeted training to ensure that the assembly maintains parliamentary supremacy and serves public interest.
“As elected representatives, we must legislate responsibly, put an end to political victims and work together to maintain supremacy of people’s assembly and protect our democracy,” he said.
He called for dialogue in the dialogue between the party in the charter of democracy, “said” Political parties are the true guardians of democracy. There must be a meaningful dialogue among all parties about the effective function of the assembly to ensure that it serves people’s interests and remains a forum for genuine debate and cooperation. “
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Speaks Khan criticized the strongly constitutional provisions, especially Articles 62, 63, and the abandoned Article 58 (2). 2 (b), and noticed them as relics from authoritarian regimes.
“These provisions imposed by dictators such as General Zia-Ul-Haq have historically become weapons to wrongfully target chosen politicians. We must end this evil cycle. The Panama case must not become another tool such as Article 58 (2) (B), or we risk falling into a nihilistic cycle where we repeat the same mistakes,” he said.
He warned against disqualifications based on merely claims or technical conditions that violate the presumption of innocence and eroded parliamentary legitimacy.
With reference to previous examples such as the Public Representative Offices Discrew Act of 1949 and the optional bodies disqualification order (EBDO) of 1959, he said that such “back door tools” have consistently served non-democratic elements, often with political parties.
He called the Panama case a “Show Case” and said it was used as a precedent undermining constitutional rights to political association and representation under Article 17.
“This destructive chain must be broken,” he said. “The very fact that the constitution has been exploited in this way means that such challenging questions may be – and have been – raised.”
He ended by promising to maintain parliamentary rule and the principles of representative democracy:
“During my tenure as a speaker, I will work to maintain parliamentary rule and the principles of representative constitutional democracy, as imagined by our great Islamic Republic’s basic fathers.”
