Punjab Assembly speaker seeks legal action over chaos during KP CM’s visit

Lahore: Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan has recommended legal action against those involved in the chaos that erupted during the arrival of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi at the provincial legislature building.

According to a report prepared by a committee constituted by the speaker, individuals accompanying the KP chief minister entered the Punjab Assembly without proper authorisation, leading to disorder and physical altercations with assembly security staff.

Citing the findings, the speaker said people whose names were not included in the approved visitors’ list were brought into the House. He accused members of the visiting delegation of disrupting proceedings and engaging in scuffles inside the assembly premises.

The inquiry report proposed legal action against those found involved in “hooliganism” and recommended seeking assistance from law enforcement agencies for further investigation into the incident.

The committee noted that the opposition had submitted only a list of names of individuals accompanying the KP chief minister, without providing essential identification details. Due to the absence of CNIC numbers, photographs and vehicle registration information, security officials faced serious difficulties in verifying identities.

The report further stated that an individual identified as Matiullah Barqi attempted to enter the assembly by falsely claiming to be KP Assembly member Ashfaq from constituency PK-89. However, KP provincial minister Meena Khan later confirmed that Barqi was not MPA Ashfaq. When asked to leave, Barqi allegedly resorted to verbal abuse and scuffled with security personnel.

The inquiry also highlighted that the opposition had assured that two PTI lawmakers would be present at the main gate to facilitate identification, a commitment that was not honoured. Additionally, the report revealed that the list provided by the opposition included the name of a convicted individual, Haider Majeed, raising concerns over due diligence.

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It added that despite repeated requests by assembly security staff for identity verification, they were subjected to pushing, verbal abuse and physical jostling. Statements of the security personnel present at the scene were recorded by the Assembly Secretariat as part of the investigation.

The report surfaced a day after KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, expressing serious concern and lodging a strong protest over alleged ill-treatment during his recent visit.

The PTI-backed KP chief minister arrived in Lahore on December 26 for a three-day visit to participate in political activities, including a scheduled visit to the Punjab Assembly. His visit, however, was marred by altercations between members of his delegation and assembly security officials, with both sides blaming each other for the incident.