ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s lawmakers today (Thursday) would hold a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for discussing and verification of its party MNAs’ pending resignations.
Speaker Ashraf has asked the PTI lawmakers to meet him on Thursday morning for verification of their resignations, which have been lying pending with him despite the lapse of several months
Talking to the media outside Parliament building, Speaker Ashraf said that a delegation of PTI representatives asked him for a meeting today (Thursday) at 11:30 am in the Parliament House. He said that he received a telephone call from former PTI Chief Whip in National Assembly Malik Amir Dogar, on Tuesday, in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh when he was attending the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
He said that Malik Amir Dogar inquired about his return. He said that he told Dogar that he would return on December 28. However, luckily I got a flight on December 27 and reached Islamabad, the Speaker said, adding he was in his chamber on Wednesday and waited for PTI lawmakers but they did not turn up.
The speaker said he himself contacted Malik Amir Dogar, who asked for a meeting on Thursday morning at 11:30 am instead of Wednesday.
He said the PTI members were personally summoned to the National Assembly to confirm the resignations, but not a single MNA bothered to appear to confirm the resignations in a personal capacity.
The speaker also reiterated that there was a clear procedure in the Constitution of Pakistan and the rules of business of the National Assembly regarding the confirmation of resignations of MNAs and this procedure would be followed in letter and spirit.
As a speaker, he has the power not to accept the resignations of a lawmaker as he was the speaker of all parties.
However, he said that the matter of confirmation of resignations would be dealt with in accordance with the constitution, law, rules, and regulations of the National Assembly.
Answering a question, he said, “If Shah Mahmood Qureshi comes to the National Assembly, I will welcome him.”
He said that the PTI MNAs should attend the National Assembly proceedings as the Parliament was the representative of over 220 million people of Pakistan. He said that the country’s pressing issues should be resolved in Parliament by setting aside political expediencies.
“The current situation demands collective work for the country’s betterment. As Custodian of the House, I will never do anything that is against the Constitution and the law,” he said.
The speaker said that Abdul Shakoor Shad, the PTI lawmaker from Karachi’s NA-246 constituency (Lyari), had challenged his resignation in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) claiming that he did not resign from his National Assembly seat and that his resignation letter was written by a computer operator at the PTI’s head office and was signed by 123 members.
Later, the speaker visited the monument established in the lawns of Parliament House in remembrance of the “unsung heroes of democracy”.
The speaker expressed his indignation over the poor maintenance and sub-standard repair work of the monument and directed the senior officials of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to restore the monument to its original condition by completing the renovation and repair work within three weeks.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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