The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs on Friday reached the NA speaker’s office for the personal verification of their resignations from the lower house of parliament. The PTI delegation headed by former federal minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi reached National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf’s chamber to confirm resignations.

The decision to appear before NA speaker was taken in PTI parliamentary party meeting. The move comes after National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Friday accepted the resignations of 35 more PTI MNAs amid reports that President Arif Alvi is all set to ask Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take a vote of confidence from the lower house of the parliament.

“In accordance with 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 Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan has been pleased to accept the resignations of the following Members of the National Assembly with effect from April 11, 2022, the date when the letter of respective resignations was submitted,” the statement released by the National Assembly Secretariat read.

The lawmakers whose resignations have been accepted. 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), Chaudhry Shoukat Ali Bhab (NA-87), Umar Aslam Khan (NA-93), Amjad Ali Khan (NA-96), Khurram Shahzad (NA-107) and others.

With 35 more resignations, the total number of MNAs whose resignations have been accepted stands at 80. The PTI had resigned en masse from the lower house of parliament following the ouster of PTI chief Imran Khan in April last year. Earlier, Imran Khan hinted at returning to National Assembly for caretaker setup, claiming that his party was in contact with “several Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers”.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP