Punjab CM too faces no-trust move

LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmakers submitted a no-trust motion in the Punjab Assembly against Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Monday.

A total of 127 lawmakers, including PPP and PML-N MPAs, signed the no-trust motion. Among the lawmakers who signed the motion included PML-N’s Rana Mashhood, Sami Ullah Khan, Mian Naseer Ahmed, Ramzan Saddique Bhatti and Malik Ahmed and PPP MPA and parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly Syed Hassan Murtaza.

PA Public Relations Officer Abdul Qahar confirmed that 127 MPAs have signed the no-confidence motion while 120 members have moved the requisition for the assembly session.

“The MPAs enumerated in the attached two separate lists of PML-N and PPP duly signed by themselves request your honour to summon the session of provincial assembly of Punjab under Article 154 (3) read with Article 127 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to consider the notice of resolution of no-confidence against Chief Minister of Punjab Sardar Usman Ahmad Khan Buzdar,” the requisition stated.

The lawmakers maintained that the CM had lost majority support as matters pertaining to the province were not being dealt with constitutionally and democratically. “We, the members of PML-N and PPP, hereby give notice under Article 136 of Constitution read with Rule 23 of the Rules of Procedure of Provincial Assembly of Punjab 1997 for following no-confidence resolution against the Chief Minister of Punjab,” the notice read.

Opposition submits no-confidence motion against Punjab CM Usman Buzdar

Talking to media outside the Punjab Assembly later in the day, Rana Mashhood, along with other opposition members, said the speaker was now required to call a session of the provincial assembly within 14 days. “The requisition was submitted at 9:45am Monday and it is the decision of the people of Punjab who no longer want Buzdar as the chief minister,” the PML-N leader said.

Opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz said the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar would be successful.

Hamza Shahbaz, in a statement, said the no-trust motion submitted against the Punjab CM was a part of the opposition strategy to oust Usman Buzdar. He also said that Prime Minister Imran Khan failed to fulfil promises he made to the people of Pakistan. He further said the people of Pakistan would hold PTI government accountable for the unprecedented prices of sugar, flour, ghee and petrol. He said farmers of Punjab were not getting fertilizers. “We want to rid the people of Punjab of bad governance and rampant corruption and they had decided to topple the incompetent government through constitutional and legal means,” Hamza said.

PPP General Secretary Central Punjab and parliamentary leader Syed Hassan Murtaza said the no-confidence motion was to be the “first no-confidence motion that had public support”.

Murtaza also said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Vice President PML-N Maryam Nawaz and JUI Chief Fazal-ur-Rehman held long march to get public support against the selected government. He hoped the no-confidence motion would be successful with big majority. He said the people of Pakistan were suffering due to wrong economic policies of the government.

While criticizing Prime Minister Imran Khan’s use of abusive language in the Islamabad gathering, Murtaza said by using that language Imran Khan proved himself a loser. He warned if the ministers of the government continued using abusive language against the PPP leadership, they would get the answers in the same words.

PML-N’s Sami Ullah Khan said, “Bribes were taken in the name of transfer postings in the CM House.” He added the PTI-led government had done nothing to address the problems of the underprivileged. “They have pushed the country towards darkness,” he claimed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022