Punjab Assembly Acting Speaker Reinstates 26 Suspended Opposition Lawmakers

Zahid Channar says opposition adds value to proceedings.

By DTD- On Jul 22, 2025

LAHORE: Acting Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Zahid Iqbal Channar has ordered the immediate reinstatement of 26 suspended opposition lawmakers, emphasizing the importance of their participation for a functioning democratic process.

While addressing the house on Tuesday, Channar stated, “Even I’m not enjoying it without the opposition members,” adding that their return would send a positive message. He instructed the assembly secretariat to issue a notification allowing the lawmakers to return to the assembly floor without delay.

The lawmakers, affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed opposition, were suspended on June 27 following a protest during Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s speech. The protest turned chaotic, with members surrounding the speaker’s dais and chanting slogans, disrupting the session.

In response, Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan had suspended 26 MPAs for 15 sittings and imposed fines of Rs200,000 on 10 lawmakers for allegedly damaging public property. He also filed disqualification references with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), accusing them of “unparliamentary conduct.”

However, two days ago, Speaker Khan formally withdrew the disqualification petitions after successful negotiations between the opposition and the government. In his written ruling, he stated that the speaker’s position should not be reduced to that of a “postman” forwarding complaints to the ECP. He warned that bypassing due legal process could undermine the constitutional framework and stifle freedom of expression within the assembly.

He further clarified that while unruly conduct in parliaments globally is addressed with strict measures, serious constitutional violations must be proven in a competent court or tribunal before any disqualification can be enforced.

The reinstated lawmakers include Malik Farhad Masood, Muhammad Tanveer Aslam, Syed Riffat Mehmood, Yasir Mehmood Qureshi, Kaleem Ullah Khan, Muhammad Ansar Iqbal, Ali Asif, Zulfiqar Ali, Ahmad Mujtaba Chaudhary, Shahid Javed, Muhammad Ismael, Khayal Ahmad, Shahbaz Ahmad, Tayyab Rashid, Imtiaz Mehmood, Ali Imtiaz, Rashid Tufail, Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal, Khalid Zubair Nisar, Ch Muhammad Ejaz Shafi, Saima Kanwal, Muhammad Naeem, Sajjad Ahmed, Rana Aourang Zaib, Shuaib Ameer, and Usama Asghar Ali Gujjar.

Separately, 10 of the suspended lawmakers were fined a total of over Rs2 million for acts of vandalism, including breaking microphones, as captured in official video footage. Each was ordered to pay Rs203,550. The fined lawmakers include Chaudhary Javed Kausar, Asad Abbas, Tanveer Aslam, Riffat Mehmood, Muhammad Ismael, Shahbaz Ahmad, Imtiaz Mehmood, Khalid Zubair, Rana Aourang Zaib, and Muhammad Ahsan Ali.

The reinstatement is being viewed as a step toward easing political tensions in the Punjab Assembly and restoring constructive debate.