Amid power of fists Hamza becomes new Punjab chief minister

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Hamza Shehbaz Saturday muscled his way to Punjab Chief Minister slot after a show of forceful power of fists and kicks came into action to decide the fate of the administration of biggest province of the country, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Hamza grabbed 197 votes to be pronounced new chief minister after both Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Muslim League- Q boycotted the process that was conducted by deputy speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari while standing amid the huddle of riot police and security officials and conducting the session through a megaphone.

Before this, the Anti Riots Force of Punjab Police have entered the Punjab Assembly chamber on the direction of the Deputy Speaker and arrested three legislators from the House after a scuffle with the treasury members. Umar Tanveer Butt, Wasiq Abbasi, and Nadeem Qureshi are among the arrested MPAs.

The ruling PTI members including female legislators attacked the policemen inside the chamber and tore their uniforms. The MPAs also hit lotas to the policemen.

The channel report said during the pandemonium, Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi who is a candidate for the Cheif Ministership was also tortured on which the security guards took him outside the chamber.

Meanwhile, the security staff of the Secretary Assembly tortured some PML-N legislators. On the other side, some workers of the PML-Q also entered the Assembly chamber.

Ch Parvez Elahi’s son Moonis Elahi also reached the Punjab Assembly soon after getting news of his father’s injury. 

Later, the Punjab Assembly session resumed again under the chair of Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari who continued the proceedings by standing at his dais as his chair was damaged and thrown out of the dais during the pandemonium. The sound system was also damaged. Security forces were cordoned off the Deputy Speaker all the time.

Presiding the session, the Deputy Speaker used the megaphone and announced starting the voting procedure but the PTI members including Acting CM Usman Buzdar boycotted it and left the house.

Anyhow, the joint opposition parties’ legislators including the PML-N members used their right to vote to elect Hamza Shehbaz as new chief minister of the province.

Earlier today, Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Mazari declared that the election for the new chief minister of the province will be held today, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The deputy secretary met IGP Punjab Rao Sardar in the Punjab Assembly secretariat and briefed him about the attack on him by the PTI lawmakers.

Dost Mazari said that the election for the new chief minister will be held as per law and the court order. He directed to hold the election in presence of the police, alerting the IGP to be on stand by and if the need arises he will be delegated the powers of sergeant at arms. He also directed the police to arrest anyone who tried to create trouble in the house.

Earlier, the Saturday’s Punjab Assembly session called to elect a new chief minister exploded into violence as the ruling PTI MPAs attacked Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Mazari who was chairing the proceedings.

After the attack, the assembly proceedings were halted for the time being. 

At the onset of the session, the PTI MPAs surrounded the speaker’s dais and raised slogans against the opposition.

They then attacked Dost Mazari, hit him with the lotas they were carrying, slapped him and dragged him by the hair. Dost Mazari was also kicked and punched after the lawmakers threw him on to the ground.

The securitymen rushed in to save the deputy speaker. They wrestled him free from the clutches of PTI MPAs and escorted him to safety in his chamber. 

Police entered the house on the direction of the deputy speaker. 

PML-Q leader and CM slot contender Ch Pervaiz Elahi who was custodian of the Punjab Assembly objected to the presence of police inside the house saying why did the police force enter the assembly. He said he would summon Punjab IG police and grilled him in this regard. He said he would award a month-long punishment to him for this act. 

The Punjab IG and home secretary are present in the Punjab Assembly Secretariat. 

Meanwhile, the treasury members in the Punjab Assembly leapt towards the chair of deputy speaker and occupied it. 

The PTI MPAs brought Lotas (which represents turncoats) with them in the assembly and flung them in the air. The ruling party’s women MPAs put Lotas on their seats and kept on making mocking gestures. The PTI members were raising slogans of ‘Lotas, Lotas’. MPA Ch Akhtar Ali tried to put Lota on the speaker’s chair.

Photographer Iqbal Chaudhry injured 

Senior photojournalist Iqbal Chaudhry is badly injured in mayhem in the Punjab Assembly’s Saturday session to elect the new chief minister of the province.

The photojournalist was covering the session with his camera inside the assembly hall when some of the legislators involved in the violence in the House attacked him.

Reportedly, the attackers wanted to stop the photographer from picturizing the vandalizing incidents going on in the House. 

Iqbal Chaudhry got some serious injuries on the head and the shoulder. Iqbal Chaudhry is a former president of the Photographer Journalist Association Lahore Press Club.

PM strongly condemns attack on PA deputy speaker

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Saturday strongly condemned PTI/PML-Q led attack on the deputy speaker of Punjab Assembly, terming it a ‘blatant display of violence and hooliganism’.

In a tweet, the prime minister said that such an incident reflected Iman Khan’s desperation and incitement to violence which was rupturing the society. The former prime minister was attacking the democracy itself, he opined.

“PTI/PMLQ MPAs attack on Dy Speaker inside Punjab Assembly must be condemned in strongest terms possible. This blatant display of violence & hooliganism is fascism, pure & simple. IK’s desperation & incitement to violence is rupturing our society. He is attacking democracy itself,” he posted on his Twitter handle.

PTI/PMLQ MPAs attack on Dy Speaker inside Punjab Assembly must be condemned in strongest terms possible. This blatant display of violence & hooliganism is fascism, pure & simple. IK’s desperation & incitement to violence is rupturing our society. He is attacking democracy itself.

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) April 16, 2022

Reporters: Ali Akbar and Qazaffi Butt