Governor clips speaker's powers; PA placed under law dept.

LAHORE -- The Punjab government on Wednesday found a solution to its standoff with assembly Speaker Parvez Elahi, who had linked the presentation of fiscal budget 2022-23 with an apology from the chief secretary (CS) and inspector general of police (IGP), by clipping his powers and placing the assembly under the law secretary.

Governor Balighur Rehman 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.

He summoned the PA's 41st session - chaired by Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari and attended only by lawmakers from the ruling coalition - at Aiwan-i-Iqbal Complex on Wednesday for the presentation of the province's annual budget 2022-23, and supplementary budget for 2021-22.

The PML-N government presented the annual budget, supplementary budget for 2021-22, and fiscal risk statements for 2021-22 and 2022-23. At the session, the government also introduced the Punjab Finance Bill 2022 as well as amendments to the second schedule of the Punjab Sales Tax on Services Act 2012. The debate on the budget statements will commence on June 18 (Saturday) and continue until June 21. No MPA from the PTI and PML-Q attended this session.

PML-N-led govt presents annual budget at Aiwan-i-Iqbal session; Elahi chairs opposition session in assembly, claims governor's ordinance nullified

Meanwhile, PA Speaker Parvez Elahi continued with the 40th session proceedings on the assembly premises on Wednesday and claimed to have nullified the governor's ordinance through a unanimous resolution under Clause (1) of Article 128 of the Constitution. No MPA from the ruling coalition attended this session. The speaker said the house was an autonomous body and could not be given in subordination to the law department.

He said the session would do legislation against the clipping of powers of the speaker and assembly. Mr Elahi adjourned the session till 1pm on Thursday (today).

Governor Rehman had prorogued the 40th session of the assembly on Tuesday, as the standoff between the treasury and the speaker over calling of the CS and IGP persisted for two days, and the budget was not being presented for passage and subsequent debate.

In his order, the...