Balochistan assembly speaker ousted in controversial voting

Majority members in Balochistan assembly Wednesday ousted Speaker Aslam Bhootani as he had refused to summon the assembly following the Supreme Court verdict that the provincial govt had failed to implement the constitution.

Forty-seven members voted in favour of the no-trust motion while one voted against it. Around 15 members did not attend the session. The provincial assembly comprises 63 members.

Bhootani termed the votiung as illegal and unconstitutional and announced to move the court.

The session was presided over by Deputy Speaker Syed Matiullah Agha, who came under fire by some PPP and opposition members.

The no-confidence motion was tabled by the ruling coalition against Bhootani after he refused to chair assembly sessions. Some PPP members protested and walked out of the assembly’s session.

Calling it a principled stance in the light of Supreme Court’s October 12 interim order on Balochistan, Bhootani had said that “until the government of Balochistan’s constitutional status is determined, I will not preside over any session.”

The SC, in its interim order in the Balochistan law and order case, had also ruled that the Balochistan government has also failed in protecting the basic human rights in the province

The vote count was followed by a ruling by Deputy Speaker Syed Matiullah Agha stating that Bhootani was no longer the speaker of the provincial assembly.

Earlier on Monday, Bhootani had told reporters that the Constitution had been violated while presenting the motion.

“The motion was presented against me after I took the stand that since the Supreme Court has declared the Balochistan government unconstitutional, I will not preside over the assembly session until the status of the provincial government is not clear.”

Bhootani had also said that Balochistan Chief Minister Aslam Raisani was backing the movers of the motion. “The tactics of the Balochistan government will not deter me from my principled stand.”

The PPP leader Sadiq Imrani earlier protested against the voting and accused the deputy speaker of running the house illegally. He termed his attitude as non-parliamentary.

Other members Jan Ali Chagaizi and opposition leader Tariq Magi also condemned the voting and staged walkout.

The Chief Minister and his coalition partners succeeded to show the doors to the Speaker who had sought clarification to determine the constitutional status of the legislature after the court’s verdict.

Some legal experts had been of the opinion that the court’s judgment had caused doubts over the legal position of the assembly.

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Posted by Tahir Khan on Dec 26 2012. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.