Given that the Punjab Assembly session was rescheduled at a day’s notice on Saturday, yesterday’s proceedings at the provincial assembly were expectedly chaotic and inconclusive. From the province’s governor to Speaker Pervaiz Elahi’s actions in the last month—calling a session for the assembly and then proroguing it whenever the numbers look to be favouring the other side—it is clear that the lawmakers in Punjab are willing to go to any lengths to get one over the opponent.
Saturday night saw the police raid the homes of assembly secretariat staff, which then reportedly led to the doors of the assembly being closed when lawmakers were looking to participate in the session. Sunday’s session itself, lasted a few minutes but provided Speaker Pervaiz Elahi with the boost he was seeking. The lawmaker who moved the motion of no confidence against him was not present in the house when his name was called, which led to the motion being dismissed without being voted upon.
The session has now been postponed till June 6, but it is unclear what that will change. While the Speaker has dodged a bullet by skirting past the vote of no confidence against him, the temperatures in Punjab remain as high as ever. Beyond this vote however, the status of the Chief Minister, the Governor, a missing cabinet and the Speaker himself remain unclear. But all of this is likely to take a backseat; the next assembly session might see the motion of no confidence against the Deputy Speaker finally voted upon.
It looks to be impossible to get both sides to work together to take Punjab out of the governance crisis it is facing. Both sides are using this vacuum as a means to deflect blame and responsibility. A new motion of no confidence against the Speaker was filed the same day it was dismissed. The problem however, is that both sides are engaging in this messy political war, while governance and running the province has been sidelined in the process. Things cannot continue this way.
Saturday night saw the police raid the homes of assembly secretariat staff, which then reportedly led to the doors of the assembly being closed when lawmakers were looking to participate in the session. Sunday’s session itself, lasted a few minutes but provided Speaker Pervaiz Elahi with the boost he was seeking. The lawmaker who moved the motion of no confidence against him was not present in the house when his name was called, which led to the motion being dismissed without being voted upon.
The session has now been postponed till June 6, but it is unclear what that will change. While the Speaker has dodged a bullet by skirting past the vote of no confidence against him, the temperatures in Punjab remain as high as ever. Beyond this vote however, the status of the Chief Minister, the Governor, a missing cabinet and the Speaker himself remain unclear. But all of this is likely to take a backseat; the next assembly session might see the motion of no confidence against the Deputy Speaker finally voted upon.
It looks to be impossible to get both sides to work together to take Punjab out of the governance crisis it is facing. Both sides are using this vacuum as a means to deflect blame and responsibility. A new motion of no confidence against the Speaker was filed the same day it was dismissed. The problem however, is that both sides are engaging in this messy political war, while governance and running the province has been sidelined in the process. Things cannot continue this way.
