LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Sunday said that he was against the forward bloc as sabotaging democratic process was not a service of democracy.
While talking to the media out the assembly, he said “The opposition should contest election of leader of the house in Punjab Assembly with courage, and hue and cry would not benefit them.”
“If any person wears black armbands, it was a matter of his personal choice and the speaker’s job was to ensure free and fair voting process,” Elahi said.
Commenting on Usman Buzdar’s candidature for CM slot, the PA speaker said that “Usman Buzdar was not a controversial figure”.
“I had declared the papers of Usman Ahmad Buzdar as correct as there is no case on him. He hails from a backward area and hopefully, he will work for progress and prosperity of south Punjab and pay special attention to remove the deprivations which have been enhanced during the last 10 years,” he added.
Moreover, the PA speaker said that “the election for Punjab chief minister slot will be held on the basis of division of the House, rather than secret balloting,” adding that the elections will be “transparent”.
He urged that the opposition should cooperate for taking the democratic process ahead instead of putting hurdles in its way.