Verification of resignations: PTI MNAs to appear before Speaker on October 29

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided that its lawmakers will appear before National Assembly Speaker on October 29 (Wednesday) for verification of resignations. It was decided at the PTI's core committee meeting held here under the chairmanship of Imran Khan to discuss the notice given by National Assembly Speaker regarding resignations by the party members and also to devise future course of action about the ongoing anti-government protest drive.
Briefing reporters about the decisions taken at the PTI's core committee meeting, party's Secretary Information Shireen Mazari said that there was a consensus among all the members not to take back their resignations and they will appear before the Speaker on October 29. "We have rejected this system as we believe that the general elections of 2013 were massively rigged," she said, adding that the PTI has also resigned from Punjab and Sindh assemblies.
She said that the sit-in protest in Islamabad will continue and there would be similar sits-in across the country after 10th of Muharram, while there would be a mammoth rally on November 30 in Islamabad for which a call would be given to the whole nation. To a question, she said that PTI will not take part in the by-elections if announced on the vacant seats of the party. However, she added that it depends on the situation of any particular constituency regarding PTI's support to any other candidate.
To another question, Mazari said that PTI has strongly condemned the attack on JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, but at the same time she also censured Maulana's remarks against women. To another query, she said that PTI has not invited Javed Hashmi to rejoin the party. "All members will appear before the NA Speaker on October 29. It will depend upon the Speaker whether he calls us individually or collectively," PTI vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters prior to the core committee's meeting. He said that Imran Khan has a very clear stance about resignations.
National Assembly Speaker, through a final notice on Friday, asked PTI members to appear before him at his chamber till October 29 for verification of their resignations. There are 34 PTI members in the National Assembly and only three have refused to abide by the party decision to quit the assembly. Javed Hashmi announced his resignation during a speech at a joint session of Parliament which was accepted.
Resignations of five PTI MNAs were declared invalid because they were addressed to the PTI chairman, instead of the Speaker. Therefore, the Speaker has issued notices to 25 PTI members. PTI sources said that before appearing before the Speaker on Wednesday, the parliamentary committee meeting would be held on Tuesday (October 28) to take all party members into confidence and confirm their resignations before the Speaker in both cases - whether they appear in person or collectively.
About the PTI's future strategy, if the resignations of the party members were accepted and by-elections announced, sources said that the party would press for re-elections and in case by-elections were announced, the party would boycott the polls. "We've tendered resignations because we think last year's general elections are historically rigged and it needs fresh polls to elect genuine representatives of the people," said a member of the PTI core committee, who was confident that following acceptance of the resignations and the continued sit-in protest and countrywide huge rallies, the government would not be able to sustain the pressure.
To a question about the dissolution of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly, he said, at present, no such option was under consideration. Sources said that PTI would not dissolve the provincial assembly so that it would be eligible for Senate seats given that at present it has no representation in the upper house of Parliament.
"Provincial Assembly plays a pivotal role in electing senators and is the electoral college for the upper house of the Parliament...we are keen to make entry into the Senate," the PTI core committee member said, adding that dissolution of the provincial assembly will mean stopping the party from gaining any seats in the Senate.
As far as the government strategy was concerned, the sources said that the Speaker would inform the ECP about the acceptance of the PTI resignations from National Assembly and subsequently the ECP would announce the schedule for the by-polls on the vacant seats after notification of the resignations.
When contacted a senior official at the ECP said that the Commission was ready to hold by-elections any time within 60 days as per the Constitution as and when the Speaker informs the ECP that the resignations of the PTI members have been accepted. When asked about the ease of holding so many by-elections, the official said that by-polls were held on 42 vacant seats on August 22, 2013 following those members who were elected from more than one constituency in the general elections vacated their additional seats.
Replying to a query about the constitutional position if Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was dissolved, the ECP official said that in case of dissolution of any provincial assembly for any reason, there would be fresh elections in that particular province and it would not have any impact on the central government.