ISLAMABAD -  PTI chief Imran Khan claimed on Tuesday that all his party lawmakers belonging to the national and provincial assemblies have submitted en masse resignations to him and the decision to quit the assemblies would be taken at a proper time.

While taking to reporters after a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee, Khan said “all party (PTI) lawmakers including that of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly had submitted their resignations to him and he would take the decision about the en masse resignations at “any time and whenever ever he wanted”. At the same time, he said the decision would be taken in consultations with the senior party leadership.

Responding to a question about the claim of Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid that no force could stop him from resigning from the National Assembly, he said Rashid was an experienced politician than him and he would hold consultations with him on the issue of resignations. He hoped the decision to quit the assemblies would be taken at the right time.

Contrary to the earlier claims of PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry that the CEC would take the decision of en mass resignations, party insiders said the meeting discussed the option of resignations very slightly. A PTI leader who was part of the meeting said KP Revenue Minister Ali Amin Gandapur presented his resignation at the meeting. While responding to Gandapur, Khan said some other party lawmakers had presented their resignations to him, and he would decide the matter at an appropriate time.

On the other hand, a resolution passed by the CEC and later released to the media did not mention the en masse resignations. A PTI insider said the matter of giving a mandate to Khan on resignations was part of the resolution but later the issue was excluded from the resolution before it was passed by the ECC.

Last week, Fawad Chaudhry had said the CEC would take the decision on the en masse resignations following an announcement of PTI chief in Lahore that he was seriously considering that his party should quit the parliament—a decision that could create a political crisis ahead of Senate elections.

Khan also claimed that ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif would be convicted in corruption references by the end of February. “Nawaz Sharif wanted to save himself from conviction as he had been avoiding such punishments in the past,” he said adding that the former PM would meet his fate this time.

He said that now the whole corrupt mafia had turned against him in the name of saving democracy.  He also said that his party would welcome the no-confidence move of the opposition parties in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly as they had a plan to reply it. He demanded from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to hold inquiries of misappropriation into other mega projects in Punjab. He condemned that the Punjab chief minister was threatening the NAB while being in the government. The PTI chief said that Nawaz Sharif was openly threatening the Supreme Court and asking the apex court to withdraw its decision about his disqualification.

Earlier, the CEC, that met under the chair of Khan, demanded to publicise the investigation report of Raja ZafarulHaq committee over the issue of Khatam e Nabuwat (SAW) and bring into open the details of amending the clause relating to the finality of Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (PBUH).

The ECE reiterated PTI’s demand to merge FATA into KP. The PTI chief while addressing the media said that there was a vacuum in FATA which has to be filled at the earliest in a bid to safeguard it from turning into a safe haven for terrorists again. Slamming JUI-F chief FazalurRehman, he said that by impeding the merger process, he was playing a dangerous game. “The FATA merger is imperative to curb extremist tendencies to flourish,” he said.

The meeting also decided to constitute committees to monitor development projects in Sindh and Punjab. the PTI chief said that these committees will keep a ‘check’ on the corruption of provincial governments. He lamented that huge kickbacks were involved in construction projects in Punjab and Sindh. He questioned the contract of the Orange Line and LNG projects.

The CEC meeting also demanded the provincial governments facilitate farmers particularly sugarcane growers and stressed to purchase sugarcane at the rate fixed by the federal government.

The CEC meeting also approved the PTI’s membership drive. Moreover, the meeting passed a resolution condemning the US president’s statement against Pakistan undermining country’s unparalleled sacrifices in the war on terror. The relocation of US embassy to Jerusalem was also condemned by the CEC and the PTI chief warned that this will further aggravate the ongoing crisis in the region.

The CEC also passed resolutions to express solidarity with Kashmiris and Palestinians and condemned in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by the occupying forces against innocent masses. The meeting also condemned the worsening situation along the Line of Control.

The CEC expressed extreme anger over the growing incidents of child abuse and demanded of the government to award exemplary punishment to the culprits of such cases. The CEC recommended that other provinces adopt KP police act to reform and improve the police department.

Khan said that incidents like Kasur and fake encounter of Naqeebullah Mehsud exposed their lethal police system.

 

“I am urging again and again that “we have to reform and depoliticize our police if we are committed to ending crimes,” he said.