Ordinances promulgated by Punjab governor to be challenged in SC

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi have decided to challenge three ordinances promulgated by Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman in Supreme Court, ARY News reported on Thursday.  

According to details, the PTI and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi have decided to challenge ordinances promulgated to curtail the speaker’s powers and place the assembly under the law secretary.

Governor Punjab promulgated The Punjab Laws (Repealing and Removal of Difficulties) Ordinance 2022, curtailing the speaker’s powers and empowering the Punjab law and parliamentary affairs department to issue notifications regarding summoning or prorogation of the provincial assembly.

Sources have claimed Governor Punjab wrote to the Law Secretary for the prorogation of provincial assembly session. After convening the session, the Law Secretary was given additional powers of the Assembly Secretary.

The sources further said Governor cannot curtail the powers of the Assembly Speaker by any ordinance. Sources have informed that only the assembly can increase or curtail the powers of the Speaker. It is unconstitutional to issue an ordinance after convening an assembly session, they added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Punjab government presented its budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year during an assembly session at Aiwan Iqbal, while Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi chaired a parallel session in the assembly building.

The government conducted the budget session after the governor convened the session by curtailing the speaker’s powers through ordinances.