LAHORE: Interim Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a meeting with his party’s nominee for Punjab chief minister, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, discussed a strategy for the upcoming provincial assembly session, and also talked about options of suspending opposition members and dissolving the assembly.

Also on Tuesday, Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari postponed the session of the Punjab Assembly, scheduled for Wednesday (today), to April 16.

The deputy speaker claimed the session was postponed to complete repair and maintenance work in the assembly hall.

Then, in a late-night development, some TV channels reported that the deputy speaker had superseded his earlier order and summoned the PA to meet at 7:30pm today (Wednesday).

A Punjab Assembly spokesperson, in a clarification issued late-night, had denied that the session had been recalled on Wednesday.

PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi said that the notice circulating on media was ‘fake’ as it did not have a diary number and was written on a plain piece of paper. He asserted that the session would be held on April 16 as notified earlier in the day.

The interim prime minister chaired a meeting, which was attended by Governor Omer Sarfraz Cheema, outgoing chief minister Usman Buzdar, Mr Elahi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Fawad Chaudhry. The meeting discussed a strategy for the chief minister’s election, which had become inevitable as the outgoing leader of the House could not dissolve the Punjab Assembly.

Mr Elahi briefed the meeting on the assembly’s April 3 session. Mr Buzdar and Punjab PTI president Shafqat Mahmood explained the success in convincing party MPAs who had joined hands with the opposition.

When the prime minister asked about the number of MPAs likely to vote for the party candidate, it was claimed that Mr Elahi had the support of 189 members, including those from the opposition.

Mr Khan asked whether there was a need to prorogue the session, and if not then what were the options available. Mr Elahi responded that the opposition members had vandalised the assembly hall on April 3, and suggested that some 15 opposition lawmakers could be suspended after which they would not be able to vote in the House.

It is learnt that PM Khan also met Mr Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi separately, and asked them whether they needed his help for the CM’s election. Mr Elahi reportedly said he would ask for it when required.

Meanwhile, the PTI has issued notices to its MPAs asking them to vote for the party’s candidate, Mr Elahi, as the chief minister. “Those who will vote against the party candidate or abstain from voting will be tried under Article 63A of the Constitution,” says the order issued by PTI secretary general Asad Umar.

The PTI was also contemplating filing references against those MPs who were meeting opposition leaders or sat in the opposition benches in the Punjab Assembly during the last session.