Punjab Assembly suspends action against 26 opposition lawmakers

F.P. Report

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly has decided to put the brakes on further action against 26 suspended opposition members until ongoing talks between the government and the opposition reach a conclusion.

According to government sources, the assembly speaker has directed the secretariat to hold off on any new disciplinary measures while negotiations continue. The Assembly Secretariat had earlier planned to proceed with penalties against 19 of the suspended lawmakers.

Insiders revealed that fines imposed on 10 members for damaging Assembly property have also been put on hold. These lawmakers were earlier served notices, but the issuance of second notices has now been held back.

Additionally, the deduction of fines from their salaries – amounting to over Rs2 million – has been temporarily stopped.

It has also come to light that a no-confidence move against nine more opposition chairmen has been paused.

Earlier, four opposition chairmen were already removed from their posts through similar no-confidence motions moved by the treasury benches.

The government had earlier resolved to remove 13 opposition members from the chairmanship of standing committees.

However, with the political temperature cooling and backdoor negotiations underway, a softer approach appears to be in play – for now.