LAHORE, July 14 (Alliance News): Talks between the government and opposition committees over the disqualification of 26 Punjab Assembly members ended Sunday without any major breakthrough, though both sides agreed to continue negotiations.
The meeting, chaired by Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, was aimed at resolving tensions stemming from a disqualification reference filed against 26 opposition lawmakers.
The reference was submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after ruckus, sloganeering, and the tearing of official documents during the budget session last week.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Opposition Leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar said that discussions would continue and that no deadlock had occurred.
He noted that both sides would consult their parliamentary parties before the next round of talks, and emphasized the importance of following assembly rules.
Punjab Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman echoed the sentiment, saying that the treasury side does not seek to disqualify the lawmakers but wants to restore the dignity of the house.
He expressed hope that a resolution would come in the next couple of meetings, adding that political matters should be settled through dialogue.
Both parties have set up negotiation committees to ease tensions and find a middle ground.
The 26 PTI-backed MPAs facing the disqualification reference include Malik Farhad Masood, Muhammad Tanveer Aslam, Syed Riffat Mehmood, Yasir Mehmood Qureshi, Kaleem Ullah Khan, and others.
Separately, 10 opposition lawmakers have been fined more than Rs2 million in total for vandalism during the assembly session, including breaking microphones. Each of them is required to pay Rs203,550 as per video evidence.
