Ruling party, opposition MPs brawl in provincial Pakistani parliament
Front-benchers attack speaker in attempt to stop him from holding elections for next chief minister of Punjab province
KARACHI, Pakistan
Opposing legislators wrestled with fists and roughed each other up on Saturday in Pakistan's assembly in Punjab, its most populous province, just moments before the election of a new chief minister.
The provincial assembly was convened on the orders of a high court in Lahore, Punjab’s capital, to elect the province's new chief minister, following the resignation of Usman Buzdar from the key office earlier this month.
Buzdar, a member of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), stepped down amid an ongoing political crisis that already resulted in a successful no-confidence motion against former Prime Minister Imran Khan a week ago.
Footage on several local broadcasters showed a group of PTI lawmakers attacking and manhandling Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari, who was presiding over the session on Lahore High Court orders.
This promoted opposition members to jump into the conflict, triggering a free-for-all in the house.
In the melee, rival parliamentarians threw fists and kicked each other.
The PTI accused the deputy speaker, who also belongs to the PTI, of siding with the opposition, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz group), and its allies, which claim to have enjoyed a simple majority to clinch the key post.
Opposition lawmakers and the sergeant-at-arms were seen accompanying the deputy speaker out of the parliament house.
Anti-riot police were also rushed in to avert more clashes between rival legislators and their supporters outside the house.
The PTI has nominated Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, the head of coalition partner Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), as the new chief minister.
Elahi, who was Punjab's chief minister from 2002 to 2007, is now the provincial assembly speaker.
The PML(N), PPP, and PTI dissidents have fielded Hamza Shehbaz, the incumbent opposition leader in the Punjab assembly and son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, for the coveted office.
To form a government, any party must obtain a simple majority of 186 votes in the 371-seat house.
National Assembly lower house gets new speaker
In a related development, the National Assembly, or the lower house of parliament, elected a new speaker on Saturday.
Former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was elected unopposed as speaker.
His election followed the resignation of his predecessor, Asad Qaisar, who stepped down last week after refusing to take a vote on the no-confidence motion against the former prime minister.
Ashraf, a member of the PPP, the government's main coalition partner, was prime minister from 2012 to 2013.
