Drama stirs up as Khan’s presence in Punjab Assembly takes stage
Imran Khan, incarcerated founder of PTI, caused chaos in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday as a portrait of the former prime minister was placed on the opposition leader’s seat, leading to disorder in the house. Members of the treasury walked out after the chair refused to take any action.
During Thursday’s budget session, which resumed after a two-day break, Deputy Speaker Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channar chaired the session. PML-N lawmakers Malik Waheed and Bilal Yameen protested when they saw Mr. Khan’s portrait on opposition leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachhar’s seat.
On a point of order, they demanded the chair remove the portrait of a person “who has been convicted by a court of law and is still behind bars.” They claimed that bringing the picture of a convict into the house was against assembly rules.
The chair advised the protesters to join the budget session instead of raising objections. However, the two PML-N members kept protesting, interrupting the session. They then left when the deputy speaker didn’t make a decision about the portrait.