Pakistan, July 19 -- Talks between the government and opposition in the Punjab Assembly have succeeded, leading to a major breakthrough. Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan has rejected four separate reference requests seeking the disqualification of 26 opposition members. However, the ban on these members attending 15 sessions of the Assembly will remain in place.

The references were based on the lawmakers' alleged misconduct during the budget session. Petitioners had urged the speaker to send disqualification cases to the Election Commission. They cited legal precedents, including Nawaz Sharif's disqualification case, and questioned the lawmakers' eligibility under constitutional articles 58, 62, and 64.

Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan,...