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- May 11, 2024
- Kainat Shakeel
- 0
LAHORE: The 27 Punjab MPAs elected on reserved seats were suspended by court decisions, bringing the government’s overall strength down to 203. The ruling PML-N controls 23 of the 27 suspended MPAs, the PPP controls two, and the IPP and PML-Q control one apiece. After senior opposition MPA Rana Aftab Ahmad raised a point of order, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan decided to suspend the 27 MPAs on reserved seats. As a result, the MPAs were prohibited from attending the assembly sessions. Three MPAs are from the minority quota, while 24 women were voted to reserve seats among the suspended MPAs.
Tariq Masih Gill, Waseem Anjum, Basro Ji, Maqsooda Bibi, Rubina Nazir, Salma Zahid, Kanwal Nauman, Zeba Ghafoor, Saeeda Samreen Taj, Shehar Bano, Amna Parveen, Syed Sumera Ahmad, Uzma Butt, Afshan Hussain, Shugufta Faisal, Nasreen Riaz, Sajida Naveed, Tasheen Fawad, Abida Bashir, Sadia Muzaffar, Faiza Momina, Amira Khan, Samia Atta, Rahat Afzal, and Rukhsana Shafique are the MPAs that are suspended. It is significant to note that the PTI will have 134 members in the House of 371 if it is granted its portion of the reserved seat quota, which was refused.
While this falls well short of the 186 seats that the PMLN has easily secured, the ruling League may encounter difficulties as a result of having to depend more on its partners, which together account for nearly 30 MPAs, namely the PPP, PMLQ, and IPP. Within the ruling coalition, there is a widespread fear that the PMLN’s influence in the House could be further diminished if judgments are made on any of the Form 45 seats against them. Furthermore, the PMLN may have serious difficulties in the event of a revolution inside the ruling party, even if it is led by a smaller number of MPAs as was the case under the Buzdar administration. The PMLN needs to maintain its allies and give them a say in any potential cabinet expansion to resist this threat.