45 MNAs urge NA speaker not to accept their resignations

ISLAMABAD          –         At least 45 PTI lawmakers on Monday collectively withdrew their resignations from the National Assembly in a move to get the slot of opposition leader in the lower house as part of its efforts to send the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif packing through the test of vote of confidence. The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs sent their applications of withdrawal of resignations separately to the NA speaker and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The MNAs informed the NA Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf through email and WhatsApp about their decision to withdraw resignations after they failed to meet with the latter apparently due to closure of the Parliament House for three days owing to a short circuit. PTI Secretary General Asad Umar in an announcement said that the lawmakers have informed the speaker the orders of the party chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan. He further said that the decision was taken after the speaker refused to accept all the resignations together.

“Our next step would be the nomination of the opposition leader.” The lawmakers who have decided to withdraw their resignations also included Muhammad Riaz Khan Fatyana, Sardar Talib Hussain Nakai, Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh, Nasarullah Dareshak, Nafeesa Inayat Khan, Saleh Mohammad, Jai Parkash, Tahir Sadiq, Ghulam Mohammad Lali, Raza Nasarullah, Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan, Sahibzada Muhammad Ameer Sultan, Munaza Hassan, Lal Chand Malhi, Tashfeen Safadar, Nausheen Hamid and Ghulam Bibi Bharwana. Earlier in the day, PTI lawmakers reached the Parliament House to convey their decision of resignations withdrawal to the speaker but could not get to the already closed premises.

Later, they went to the speaker house and staged a sit-in outside it demanding that their requests should be immediately accepted. Meanwhile, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry in a statement said that the party wanted to take back the posts of the leader of the opposition and parliamentary party leader in the NA. He added that the aim of the move was to get rid of the “fake” Leader of Opposition in the NA Raja Riaz Ahmad and prevent “turncoats” from voting for PM Shehbaz Sharif in the vote of confidence.

Article source: https://www.nation.com.pk/24-Jan-2023/45-mnas-urge-na-speaker-not-to-accept-their-resignations