In what appeared to a pre-planned strategy, the National Assembly session was prorogued prematurely in a bid to avert an immediate election of the deputy speaker as per the rules following Qasim Suri was de-notified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) the same day.
The session of the House which resumed with Presiding Officer Syed Fakhar Imam in the chair was prorogued soon after a treasury member, Shenaz Baloch, member of the National Assembly from Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), pointed out the lack of quorum at the outset of the proceedings.
According to Clause 11 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, "Whenever the office of the Speaker or Deputy Speaker becomes vacant, an election to fill that office shall be held, - (a) if the Assembly is in session, as soon as possible during the session; and (b) if the assembly is not in session, at the commencement of its next session."
Under the rules, the government was required to hold election for the new deputy speaker during the session but Fakhar Imam from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) prorogued the House within no time when it was observed that house was not in order. The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Qasim Suri was disqualified as member of the National Assembly by an election tribunal on September 27, 2019 from NA-265 on the petition of his rival candidate and was consequently de-notified by the ECP on Wednesday. Suri has challenged the election tribunal's decision in the Supreme Court.
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