The Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) is preparing references to seek disqualification of dozens of its defectors in the Punjab Assembly, party sources said. “We will be filing most of the references in the next couple of weeks with the speaker,” a senior PML-Q leader told this correspondent. He said that the party leadership has consulted with top lawyers, who have given the opinion that these defections were fit cases for unseating of the members of the so-called forward bloc in the Punjab Assembly. The PML-Q leader said that although a few MNAs were also not following the party policy and discipline in the National Assembly, they have not formally crossed floor. Therefore, he said, the party would be delaying disqualification references against such MPs. Same will be strategy about such type of senators, he said. Another PML-Q leader said that some of the provincial deserters continued to be in touch with the party leadership, indicating that they were still with the PML-Q but were temporarily standing with the forward bloc because of certain “compulsions.” Under Article 63A of the Constitution, if a lawmaker votes or abstains from voting in the legislature contrary to any direction issued by his party in the election of the prime minister or the chief minister; a vote of confidence or a vote of no-confidence or a Money Bill, he may be declared in writing by the head of the parliamentary party to have defected, and a copy of such declaration may be forwarded to the speaker, who will similarly forward a copy of it to the member concerned. Within two days, the speaker refer the declaration to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), who will lay it before the Election Commission for its decision, confirming the declaration or otherwise within thirty days of its receipt by the CEC. If the Election Commission confirms the declaration, the concerned member will cease to be a legislator and his seat will become vacant.However, members of the forward bloc argue that the disqualification article is confined to voting in a vote of confidence or no confidence or on a money bill whereas none of them has yet done so. No such occasions has so far arisen. They also say that they have not defected. Rather, being in majority, they are the parliamentary party in the Punjab assembly and are in the process of getting their leader nominated by the speaker.
