ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Friday denotified 35 more members National Assembly (MNAs) of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf accepted their resignations, three days after making a similar move with 34 PTI lawmakers.
According to an ECP notification, the resignations of the PTI lawmakers have been approved from April 11, 2022.
It is to be recalled that the PTI had resigned en masse from the National Assembly following the success of a no-confidence motion against PTI Chief Imran Khan in April last year.
However, later NA speaker Ashraf accepted only 11 of the resignations, stating that the remaining lawmakers would be summoned individually for verification.
After stalling the process for eight months, Ashraf on Tuesday, accepted the resignations of 34 more PTI MNAs and Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid as the party hinted it would “test” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with a confidence vote.
The total number of MNAs whose resignations have been accepted stands at 81 so far.
According to a notification issued quoting Clause (1) of Article 64 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, read with Rule 43 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly of Pakistan 2007, the resignations of Dr Haider Ali Khan, NA-2; Saleem Rehman, NA-3; Sahibzada Sibghatullah, NA-5; Mehboob Shah, NA-6; Muhammad Bashir Khan, NA-7; Junaid Akbar, NA-8; Sher Akbar Khan, NA-9; Ali Khan Jadoon, NA-16; Engr Usman Khan Tarakai, NA-19; Mujahid Ali, NA-20; Arbab Amir Ayub, NA-28; Sher Ali Arbab, NA-30; Shahid Ahmed, Na-34; Gul Dad Khan, NA-40; Sajid Khan, NA-42; Mohammad Iqbal Khan, NA-44; Aamer Mehmood Kiani, NA-61; Syed Faiz-ul-Hassan,NA-70; Ch Shoukat Ali Bhatti, NA-87; Umar Aslam Khan, NA-93; Amjad Ali Khan, NA-96; Khurram Shahzad, NA-107;Faizullah, 109; Malik Karamat Ali Khokar, NA-135; Syed Fakhar Imam, NA-150; Zahoor Hussain Qureshi,NA-152; Ibraheem Khan,NA-158; Tahir Iqbal,NA-164; Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, NA-165; Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, NA-177; Abdul Majeed Khan, NA-187; Ms Andaleeb Abbas, Reserve Seat (RS)-Women; Ms Asma Qadeer, RS-Women; Ms Maleeka Ali Bokhari, RS-Women and Ms Munawara Bibi Baloch, RS-Women.
#ECP de-notifies the following Members of National Assembly of Pakistan with immediate effect pic.twitter.com/0vxbwstRJO
— Election Commission of Pakistan (OFFICIAL) (@ECP_Pakistan) January 20, 2023
PTI berates NA Speaker for piecemeal acceptance of resignations
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership came down hard on the Speaker National Assembly for piecemeal acceptance of PTI lawmakers resignations and added that the move was not only condemnable but also illegal and immoral.
The PTI leaders reiterated that it was high time to send the government packing so as to hold fresh polls in order to safeguard and protect the country’s interest.
Speaking outside the Parliament House here on Friday PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, flanked by PTI Central Secretary General Asad Umar, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry and former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, said that the Speaker proved by his actions that he was not the custodian of the House but a representative of a party.
راجہ ریاض کو بچا کر کیسے اپنا نگران وزیر اعظم لگانا ہے اور کیسے آئندہ انتخابات میں دھاندلی کرنی ہے یہ سب استعفے اسی لئے منظور کئے جارہے ہے-@AsadQaiserPTI pic.twitter.com/txV7qLOKaO
— PTI (@PTIofficial) January 20, 2023
He said that Raja Pervaiz wrote that he could not accept the resignations as he wanted to make sure the decision was without any external pressure because it’s his constitutional responsibility.
“The PDM Govt is preferring personal interest over National interest”-@SMQureshiPTI pic.twitter.com/bH2P6Frvbm
— PTI (@PTIofficial) January 20, 2023
However, Qureshi stated that today he turned his face from his responsibility and accepted resignations of 35 more MNAs, adding that the act further exposed the imported government.
آپ ملک کو بغیر آئین اور قانون کے ضد پر چلا رہے ہیں پہلے سپیکر فرماتے تھے استعفے غیر آئینی طریقہ سے دیے گئے ہیں اب وہی سپیکر صاحب استعفے منظور کررہے ہیں۔عارف حمید بھٹی pic.twitter.com/rkG3dOfcx3
— PTI (@PTIofficial) January 20, 2023
“We bought the MNAs whose resignations are left for acceptance so the speaker can verify and accept them but the speaker postponed the meeting,” he added.
Qureshi reiterated that the PTI wanted snap polls so that the people can decide for themselves but the rulers did not want to face the people.
He said that the rulers were nervous, as there was no uniformity in their ranks, which was evident from the boycott of one of their ally of Sindh second phase LG polls, adding that they wanted to run the system under the arrangement.
He made it clear that the imported rulers had no road map to get the country out of the prevailing untold crises but would just clinch to the power to do away with their corruption cases.
Qureshi said that the PTI passed the test in Punjab but they could not do so because of political wrangling and discard within the coalition partners.
He said that the rulers kept their personal interest supreme than the national interest due to which the country was facing a default-like situation.
Speaking on the occasion, Asad Umar said that the Speaker used to say that he could not accept such resignations without consulting the concerned lawmakers. He asked that were the NA Speaker called those MPs who resignations were accepted? He termed the acceptance of the resignation illegal and a mockery of democracy.
Asad stated that the PTI MNAs went inside the assembly, but not only speaker, his entire staff was missing.
He said that the sole solution to get the country out of the deepening quagmire was to hold immediate general elections in the country, as the country was on the verge of collapse. “They have no option but will have to face the nation one day,” he added.
On the occasion, Fawad Chaudhry said that they were standing before feeble and helpless Parliament. “Only a small percentage of Pakistan is represented in all assemblies today. This is how they are running the country,” he added.
Fawad challenged that NA Speaker used to say that 17 to 18 people were in touch with him, he should show them as where were those lawmakers now.
“All our remaining MNAs are present here and demanding that their resignations gets accepted today,” he added.
“Speaker NA is not capable of sitting here, chairs have been altered for the ones sitting in the parliament,” he taunted.
Fawad also warned the government that the country has been moving towards a situation similar to Sri Lanka, as Pakistan was facing worst political and economic crisis at present, demanding that all resignations should be accepted.
“Speaker has once again run away from the assembly. We should be given the date of general elections,” Fawad added.
He said that the country was facing the crisis-like situation because the decisions that were made behind closed-room.
Speaking on the occasion, Asad Qaiser said that the behavior of the Speaker and the government was highly condemnable. “I want to ask the Speaker whether they were asked separately before accepting the resignation of these 35 people,” he asked.
