ISLAMABAD - The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided that its lawmakers wouldn’t appear before Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf individually for the verification of their resignations.
The decision of the party came a day after the NA Secretariat started the process of verification of resignations of 131 MNAs of the former ruling PTI and Awami Muslim League by asking all of them through notices to appear before the speaker to testify that they had submitted their resignations voluntarily.
Official sources in PTI said that a recent meeting of the party’s Core Committee had also discussed the issue in detail and it was decided that the party would push the speaker NA to accept resignations of all its lawmakers in one-go and don’t invite the members individually.
The party is of the view that there was no need for party lawmakers to appear before the speaker individually as all voluntarily had announced to resign en masse on the floor of NA on April 11 when then prime minister Imran Khan was voted out through a successful vote of no-confidence.
The opposition party also had a plan to approach the Supreme Court against the decision of the speaker to summon PTI lawmakers individually for verification of their resignations.
According to the NA Secretariat, the speaker will start the process of verification of resignations from June 6 and the process will continue till June 10. The speaker will meet 30 MNAs every day and every lawmaker will get five minutes each to clarify his position.
The speaker has started the process of verification amid some media reports that the PTI is mulling to return to the lower house of the parliament. The ruling coalition and some powerful quarters are also pushing the opposition party to withdraw its decision of en masse resignations and sit in the NA to deliberate on key political issues of the country.
The official sources said that PTI also fears that some of its lawmakers could defect from their earlier decision of resignations and the individual verification process will expose rifts within the party.
On Tuesday, former Prime minister Imran Khan while talking to journalists in Peshawar ruled the notion out that his party would make a U-turn on its earlier decision to resign en masse from the NA. He was quoted as saying that their decision to return to NA means that they had accepted the imported government.
Khan said this at a time amid media reports that Speaker Punjab Assembly Pervaiz Elahi has asked the PTI to withdraw its decision to resign from the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Imran Khan denied contacting real estate tycoon Malik Riaz for a patch-up with the ex-president and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
The PTI chairman’s response came after an audio of a conversation between Riaz and Zardari was leaked, where the businessman could be heard giving the PPP co-chairman a message reportedly from the PTI chairman.
The decision of the party came a day after the NA Secretariat started the process of verification of resignations of 131 MNAs of the former ruling PTI and Awami Muslim League by asking all of them through notices to appear before the speaker to testify that they had submitted their resignations voluntarily.
Official sources in PTI said that a recent meeting of the party’s Core Committee had also discussed the issue in detail and it was decided that the party would push the speaker NA to accept resignations of all its lawmakers in one-go and don’t invite the members individually.
The party is of the view that there was no need for party lawmakers to appear before the speaker individually as all voluntarily had announced to resign en masse on the floor of NA on April 11 when then prime minister Imran Khan was voted out through a successful vote of no-confidence.
The opposition party also had a plan to approach the Supreme Court against the decision of the speaker to summon PTI lawmakers individually for verification of their resignations.
According to the NA Secretariat, the speaker will start the process of verification of resignations from June 6 and the process will continue till June 10. The speaker will meet 30 MNAs every day and every lawmaker will get five minutes each to clarify his position.
The speaker has started the process of verification amid some media reports that the PTI is mulling to return to the lower house of the parliament. The ruling coalition and some powerful quarters are also pushing the opposition party to withdraw its decision of en masse resignations and sit in the NA to deliberate on key political issues of the country.
The official sources said that PTI also fears that some of its lawmakers could defect from their earlier decision of resignations and the individual verification process will expose rifts within the party.
On Tuesday, former Prime minister Imran Khan while talking to journalists in Peshawar ruled the notion out that his party would make a U-turn on its earlier decision to resign en masse from the NA. He was quoted as saying that their decision to return to NA means that they had accepted the imported government.
Khan said this at a time amid media reports that Speaker Punjab Assembly Pervaiz Elahi has asked the PTI to withdraw its decision to resign from the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Imran Khan denied contacting real estate tycoon Malik Riaz for a patch-up with the ex-president and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
The PTI chairman’s response came after an audio of a conversation between Riaz and Zardari was leaked, where the businessman could be heard giving the PPP co-chairman a message reportedly from the PTI chairman.
