SIC MPAs stage walkout from Punjab Assembly amid CM election

Lawmakers belonging to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, strongly protested and staged a walkout from the Punjab Assembly on Monday.

The protest happened when the speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan stopped PTI leader Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan from raising the issue of reserved seats on the floor of the house.

Punjab Assembly met today (February 26) to elect the chief minister of the house.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has claimed that the Punjab Police were barring its elected MPAs from attending the assembly session.

Taking to X, the former ruling party wrote: "It’s shameful how police officers are stopping PTI MPAs from participating in Punjab Assembly’s session today."

"Every member of the Assembly has the right to participate, but here it seems that the new job for Punjab police is to prevent PTI elected members from entering the assembly," it added.

However, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) seniour vice-president Maryam Nawaz is likely to become the head of Punjab as she has the support of 227 lawmakers in the provincial legislature.

In the February 8 polls, PML-N emerged as the single largest party in Pakistan's largest province with 133 seats in the Punjab assembly.

Almost 23 independent candidates jave also joined PML-N, taking the tally to 156 lawmakers. Nawaz Sharif's party has managed to secure 36 reserved seats for women and 5 for minorities, which raised the party members' strength in the Punjab Assembly to 197.

In order to clinch the coveted post of the Punjab CM, Maryam Nawaz has to bring 187 members, however, PML-N's nominee has the support of 227 lawmakers, including PPP's 14, PML-Q's 10, IPP's 6.

On the other hand, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) has fielded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Aftab Ahmad Khan as the nominee of Punjab CM, who has the support of 116 lawmakers.