Amraiz Khan Lahore
Former Interior Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-N stalwart Ch Nisar on Monday could not take oath as a Member of the Punjab Assembly due to what Secretary Assembly said there are petitions against Ch. Nisar. After getting a legal opinion he would be allowed to take the oath.
It is worth mentioning here that Nisar who got elected during the 2018 elections reported on Monday after about three years.
Nisar before leaving the assembly building without taking oath said that he has decided to take oath after a political development occurred.
“Everybody knows the circumstances which led to my decision regarding not taking oath as the MPA after my success in the National Assembly constituency was turned into a defeat,” he said.
“The provincial government recently introduced an ordinance despite clearly being stated in the constitution regarding the procedure of election and de-seating of an MPA,” he said while expressing his reservation on the ordinance regarding disqualification of MPAs over their absence from assembly proceedings.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that he was not part of any political game and had only come to take oath as an MPA.
“I was told that the oath could not be administered in the absence of speaker and deputy speaker,” he said, adding that as per the constitution, the chairmen panel could also administer the oath to lawmakers.
He announced that he could approach the high court after reviewing his options following a denial from the assembly’s chair to take the oath.
On Sunday, Ch Nisar Ali Khan announced to take oath as Punjab MPA during the session of the provincial assembly.
In a message shared on Twitter, he said that he has decided to take oath as MPA after consultation with the people of his constituency.
Commenting on his failure to take oath, Provincial Law Minister Raja Basharat said, “This is not the only reason why the panel of chairman cannot swear in a new member.
Various petitions have been filed in the courts against Chaudhry Nisar. The Assembly Secretariat does not know at this stage what stage the petitions against Chaudhry Nisar are in, he maintained.
The Assembly Secretariat has explained to Ch Nisar that let us check the status of these petitions, Raja Basharat claimed.
He said that the Assembly Secretariat will give its opinion after seeking information from the court.
