LAHORE: Twenty-six opposition members of Punjab Assembly were suspended on Saturday for 15 sessions for `daring to interrupt the speech of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and indulging in rowdy behavior`.

Ten MPAs were fined over Rs200,000 each on the charge of damaging public property during the budget session.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan took action following Friday`s session in which the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPAs gathered in front of his desk and raised slogans while the chief minister was addressing the House to highlight the achievements and budget priorities of her government.

The slogans that annoyed the CM and reportedly caused suspension of the opposition lawmakers were about calling the Sharifs thieves and alleging Maryam Nawaz of misappropriation of Rs10tr in development projects of Punjab.

During her speech, the opposition members were also strongly demanding release of PTI founder Imran Khan from jail.

Interestingly, when there was uproar from the PTI members the CM had said, `Let the opposition carry on. I acknowledge their right to protest`.

The PA speaker has also hinted at sending a reference against these 26MPAs to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for their disqualification.

Those who have been suspended are: Malik Fahad Masood, Muhammad Tanveer Aslam, Syed Riffat Mehmood, Yasir Mehmood Qureshi, Kaleemullah Khan, Muhammad Ansar Iqbal, Ali Asif, Zulfiqar Ali, Ahmad Mujtaba Chaudhary, Shahid Javed, Muhammad Ismael, Khayal Ahmad, Shahbaz Ahmad, Tayyab Rashid, Imtiaz Mehmood, Ali Imtiaz, Rashid Tufail, Rai Muhammad Murtaza Iqbal, Khalid ZubairNisar,ChaudhryMuhammad Ejaz Shafi, Saima Kanwal, Muhammad Naeem, Sajjad Ahmad, Rana Aurangzaib, Lt Col (retired) Shoaib Ameer and Usama Asghar Ali Gujjar.

About the 10 MPAs fined over Rs200,000 each for allegedly damaging public property during the budget session, the speaker said they tried to interrupt the budget speech by Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman. The 10 MPAs included six who have been suspended by the speaker. The other four are: Shahbaz Ahmed, Chaudhry Javed Kausar, Mohammad Ahsan Ali, and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen`s Asad Abbas.

Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Bhachar termed the speaker`s action civilian dictatorship. He said the government wanted to snatch the democratic and constitutional right of the opposition to register protest. He said no matter how much atrocities this hybrid system unleashed at the PTI, it would not cow down before it.

He said the speaker was citing rules and procedures but conveniently ignored that he was bound to give floor to the Opposition Leader.

`The Speaker did not give floor to the Opposition Leader despite three requests,` he observed. He alsoasked why the speaker forgot rules when Information Minister Azma Bokhari and deputy speaker chanted foul slogans against the PTI leaders.

Mr Bhachar also reminded the speaker that he had yet not notified the opposition`s parliamentary leader. `We will continue fighting against fascism as the assembly`s doorhas alsobeen shut on uslike all other doors in the corridors of powers and courts,` he asserted.

`The suspended MPAs acted disorderly. They hurled torn pieces of agenda copies towards the treasury benches. They also indulged in abusive, offensive and unparliamentary language and slogans,` the PA speaker said.

He added that the suspension order had been issued under Rule 210 of the Punjab Assembly Rules of Procedure 1997 (power to order withdrawal or suspension of a member) and stated that the 26 MPAs had violated four provisions of Rule 223.

`The lawmakers shall not interrupt any member while speaking by disorderly expression or noises or in any other disorderly manner. They shall maintain silence when not speaking in the assembly and not chant slogans, display banners or placards, throw and tear table documents and reports. They shall not indulge in rowdy behaviour,` Mr Khan quoted the law during a presser here on Saturday.

He accused the MPAs in question of also manhandling the treasury members, blocking their way as they tried to approach the treasury benches with threatening gestures.

`I repeatedly tried to call the assembly to order but the opposition declined to act in accordance with the rules and persisted with misconduct and disorder and kept challenging my orders and authority, Khan said.