LAHORE: Police have taken control of Punjab Assembly building and personnel have been deployed at all entrances ahead of a session convened on Sunday (today) by Speaker Pervez Elahi.
In a surprise move, Punjab Assembly session has been summoned at 12 PM by Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi ahead of the previous schedule of May 30. This decision was made after the ECP de-seated 25 MPAs for floor crossing and voting for Hamza Sharif.
This is the third time that Assembly session has been changed. It was scheduled to meet May 16 and was later shifted for May 30. Speaker Pervaiz Elahi has directed the members of the Punjab Assembly to reach the Secretariat, saying that all MPAs will attend the session and no one can stop them from going to the assembly.
Meanwhile, Punjab police have taken over the control of the Punjab Assembly building ahead of the session. Police has been directed to stay on high alert and a heavy police force was deputed in the surroundings of the provincial assembly.
The administration closed the doors of PA while barbed wires were placed in front of the assembly building. Punjab assembly staff said that even they are not allowed to enter the assembly.
Earlier, Police arrested Punjab Assembly DG Parliamentary Affairs Rai Mumtaz and also conducted raids at the residences of two other officials of the provincial assembly.
Police entered the house of Rai Mumtaz by climbing over the walls and arrested him. Rai Mumtaz’s family says police raided the house at night and transferred him to an undisclosed location.
Raids were also carried out on the houses of Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti and Secretary Coordination Inayatullah but they were not present and could not be arrested.
Speaker Punjab Assembly Pervez Elahi condemned the arrest of Rai Mumtaz, calling it a ‘fascist act’ of the government. “The arrest of an assembly official and raids is a proof that the government is panicked. The face of the Sharifs is being exposed before the nation,” Elahi said.
He said the action was being taken on the orders of Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz and the arrests and raids of the assembly officers were proof of the government was unconstitutional.
PTI leader Musarat Jamshed Cheema condemned Rai Mumtaz’s arrest and said that the government had conceded defeat by detaining Rai Mumtaz.
