The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reserved its decision on Tuesday on the disqualification references for the 25 dissident Punjab MPAs of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had sent the disqualification reference against the PTI’s dissident members to the ECP. Arguments in the case were completed Tuesday.
The counsel for the dissident members of the provincial assembly argued that the MPAs were unaware of the directions given by the parliamentary party about voting for Pervaiz Elahi for the slot of Punjab chief minister.
‘The sleepwalking defence’
However, counsel for PTI, Syed Ali Zafar, argued that the MPAs argument reminded him of what “we call the sleepwalking defence”.
Barrister Zafar stated that pleas such as this became known as the absurd defence of sleepwalking.
Zafar then went on to contend that this was exactly what the defectors were doing.
“By taking the defence and claiming they were not aware of parliamentary party directions regarding who to vote for in the election of the chief minister, when the entire world and the nation knew about it, and the same was being discussed in talk shows and reported in the newspapers, is like saying that the MPAs were, though awake, yet sleeping all this time,” he added.
The counsel claimed that the meeting of the parliamentary party was held on April 1, its decision was reported in the press the next day, that notices to all MPAs of the Punjab Assembly were issued on April 2 by the chief whip, and another notice was sent on April 4 by PTI General Secretary Asad Umar, that another meeting was held in April in which the same decision was taken, and that a notice was sent on April 7 for the third time.
He went on to add that the minutes of both the meetings were produced, the same was reported in the media and discussed in programmes, and that the voting took place in front of the entire nation and was covered live by electronic media.
He maintained that no one denied the voting, a fifth show-cause notice was issued on April 16 and the MPAs chose not to appear before the party head. Hence they were rightly declared to have defected.
Barrister Zafar pleaded before the ECP that the vote had been cast against party directions and the defectors will have to be removed.
“Any other decision by the ECP will mean frustrating the aspirations of the people and defeating the provisions of the Constitution,” he argued.
After all parties concluded their arguments, the electoral watchdog reserved its decision.