Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan said on Monday that he had the power to file references against the MPAs indulging in acts against their oath and nobody could take away that power, guaranteed by the constitution, from him, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, he, however, said that he would not overstep his powers even by an inch. “I am not taking action against anybody. This is for the sanctity of the House that I am doing all this,” he added.
The speaker made it clear that sections 62 and 63 would apply to the MPAs violating their oath. “If these sections cannot be invoked, it is better to simply throw them away.”
He claimed that being a speaker, he tried to discharge his functions honestly. “I have always given the opposition the time to speak. But at the same time, I must say that preserving the sanctity of the House is also necessary.”
“I issued notices to a few MPAs for resorting to hooliganism during the speech of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in the assembly, while filing references against others to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP),” the speaker said, adding, “He had the power to send references.”