MPs’ resignations submitted to NA Secretary

ISLAMABAD: Resignations of Lawmakers of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) from the National Assembly were submitted to the National Assembly Secretary on Friday.

PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Arif Alvi and Shireen Mazari submitted to the NA Secretary the resignations of all 34 MNAs belonging to the party, including that of chairman Imran Khan.

The Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had earlier left for Lahore after the Friday session of the house to see his ailing mother. Observers say that this would mean that the resignations would not come under consideration of the Speaker till Monday. So, according to the observers, it was a clever move of the PTI to bring more pressure on the government and at the same time their resignations will not be accepted and in the same time the dialogue process would be moving to some direction.

The party had earlier decided to resign from all assemblies except the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, a province where it leads the government.

“We had already given our resignations to our chairman, and now we have also completed the formal procedure of submitting them to the National Assembly speaker,” said PTI leader Murad Saeed shortly after the resignations were submitted.

“Our future course of action is clear, we demand free and fair elections in Pakistan, an independent election commission, accountability of those involved in electoral rigging, and the resignation of the prime minister,” said Saeed.

Following the submission of resignations, the PTI leadership summoned a session of the party’s core committee to deliberate on future strategy regarding anti-government protests and resignations of its lawmakers from provincial assemblies.

Speaking to media representatives after submitting the resignations, Shah Mahmud Qureshi said the 2013 general elections were not free and fair.

He added that the party would take guidance from the Constitution, adding that the sit-in would not remain restricted to Islamabad. He said members of PTI are bound by decisions of the Core committee.

“We will hold sit-ins in the other major cities as well,” the PTI leader said.

Replying to a question, Qureshi said Sheikh Rashid would tender his resignation to the Speaker himself as he is not member of the PTI.

In an interview former Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Kanwar Dilshad said that as per rules, the lawmakers’ assembly membership ceases the moment they submit their resignations.

“In principle, now that they have submitted their resignations in front of the media, there is no question of their resignations not being accepted,” he said.

INP