Govt claims it may spring a surprise n Opposition hopes comfortable win n On Supreme Court order, Deputy Speaker Mazari will chair today’s session n 19 newly-elected MPAs take oath.

LAHORE    -    In a crucial session, the Punjab Assembly is meeting here today at 4:00pm to decide the fate of sitting Punjab Chief Minister Hama Shehbaz Sharif who lost majority support in the Assembly after 25 of the PTI dissidents who had voted for him were de-seated under defec­tion clause of the Consti­tution two months back.

Speaker Punjab As­sembly Ch Parvez Elahi and Hamza Shehbaz will be face to face for the second time today after a lapse of three months.

Acting upon the Su­preme Court order, Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Mohammad Mazari will chair to­day’s session to resume the proceedings of the 40th session held on April 16 to elect a new chief minister. As per court order, the depu­ty speaker will turn the clock back and recount the votes polled to Hamza Shehbaz Sharif after subtraction of 25 votes of defectors out of the total figure. He will then start the sec­ond round of the poll, declaring that none of the two candidates had secured the majority number of 186.

In the second round of election, a candidate getting a majority of the votes of the mem­bers sitting and vot­ing [at that time] will be declared elected as the chief minister as provid­ed for in the constitution.

In a statement, the deputy speaker has sought cooperation of the two parties for peaceful conduct of the election. Dost Mazari was roughed up and forced to leave the po­dium on April 16 as he sat in the chair to con­duct the proceedings. The Punjab Assembly had witnessed violence and scuffles among the lawmakers on that day.

Meanwhile, political wheeling and dealing continued throughout the day on Thursday also. The two candidates re­mained busy throughout the day doing their home­work and marshaled their forces for today’s electoral battle in the Assembly.

While the opposition’s alli­ance is hopeful of a comfort­able win with the support of over 186 members, the govern­ment side has claimed it might spring a surprise as some of the PTI members will be absent from the Assembly session. A PTI MPA from Rahimyar Khan, Majeed Masood has already left for Turkey after submitting his resignation. Two of the PML-N members, Jalil Sharaqpuri and Faisal Niazi have also resigned from their Assembly member­ship.

In a significant development, a PML-N MPA Azma Qadri who is wife of ex-PML-N legislator Zaeem Qadri announced Thurs­day that she had contracted Co­rona virus and had quarantined herself. The PML-N sources, however, claimed she would come to the Assembly and vote for Hamza Shehbaz Sharif while observing corona SOPs.

It may be recalled here that Zaeem Qadri had left the par­ty around four years back after addressing a hard-hitting press conference against Mian Sheh­baz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz. But by the time he parted ways with the PML-N, the party had already forwarded the name of his wife to the Election Commis­sion as member against one of the reserved seats of women.

Separately, a consultative meeting of the PTI and PML-Q was held here Thursday to for­mulate strategy for the chief minister’s election. Ch Parvez Elahi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Shafqat Mahmood, Farrukh Habib, Raja Basharat, Mian Mah­moodur Rashid, Mian Aslam Iqbal and Opposition leader Sibtain Khan were part of the huddle. The leaders vowed to protect their mandate by any means possible.

The PML-N and the PPP lead­ers also remained in contact with their respective legisla­tors lodged in a local hotel. The PTI members are also staying in a hotel to prevent their contact with the outside world.

Also, Vice Chairman PTI Shah Mahmood Qureshi called on Speaker Punjab Assem­bly Chaudhry Parvez Elahi at his residence here. The meet­ing was also attended by Moo­nis Elahi, Hussain Elahi, Mu­hammad Basharat Raja and Zain Qureshi. In the meet­ing, a detailed consultation on the strategy regarding the election of the chief minis­ter and the retaliatory tac­tics of the government were also reviewed. Ch Parvez Ela­hi said that any attempt to un­dermine the people’s mandate will not be tolerated.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that PTI’s nominated candidate Ch Parvez Elahi will be elect­ed the chief minister as the PTI and PML had the majority in the Punjab Assembly.

Also, 19 newly elected mem­bers of the Punjab Assembly in­cluding one independent and three belonging to the PML-N took oath of their membership during Thursday’s Assembly session. These members will be able to cast their votes in the election of the chief minister to­day. Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Parvez Elahi adminis­tered oath to the newly elected members.

Meanwhile, the Assembly Sec­retariat issued a code of conduct for holding the CM’s election in a free and fair manner. According to the guidelines issued by the Secretary Assembly, there will be a complete ban on the entry of guests of assembly members and assembly staff in the as­sembly secretariat. The speaker box, officer box and guest galler­ies will be closed but the me­dia gallery will be open. There will be a ban on carrying mobile phones in the House.