Tense Exchange in AJK Assembly; MLA Maqbool Gujjar Suspended for Session
Muzaffarabad: An important session of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly witnessed a heated exchange between refugee constituency MLA Maqbool Gujjar and Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar.
The opposition’s resolution had been moved by four members. Three lawmakers were allowed to speak, but Maqbool Gujjar was not given an opportunity to address the House, and the floor was instead handed over to the Leader of the House. This led to a sharp verbal confrontation between Gujjar and the Speaker.
During the exchange, Gujjar reportedly told the Speaker, “I do not even recognize you as Speaker; you came with only 19 votes.”
Following the incident, the Speaker suspended Gujjar’s membership for the remainder of the ongoing session. When discussion arose about calling the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove him from the chamber, Gujjar left the House on his own.
Speaking to the media afterward, Gujjar said he wanted to discuss important issues in light of the current situation but was not given the opportunity to speak.
