ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Friday accepted 35 more resignations of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers.
The National Assembly speaker after accepting the resignations of the PTI members has sent the list to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The ECP de-notified the fresh lot of 35 PTI lawmakers after completing necessary action.
The total number of accepted resignations now stands at 80 while another 43 resignations of PTI lawmakers still await the speaker’s approval. As many as 123 PTI MNAs had resigned en masse on April 11, 2022, after former prime minister Imran Khan was ousted through a no-confidence motion.
Earlier, the speaker National Assembly last Tuesday had accepted the resignations of 34 MNAs of the PTI and one resignation of Awami Muslim League Chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmad on January 17.
The total number of resignations of PTI’s Members of the National Assembly accepted by the Speaker to date has risen to 80 members.
The names of PTI MNAs whose resignations were accepted on Friday are as follows: 1. Dr Haider Ali Khan (NA-2), 2. Saleem Rehman (NA-3), 3. Sahibzada Sibghatullah (NA-5), 4.Mehboob Shah (NA-6), 5. Muhammad Bashir Khan (NA-7), 6. Junaid Akbar (NA-8), 7. Sher Akbar Khan (NA-9), 8. Ali Khan Jadoon (NA-16), 9. Engr Usman Khan Tarakai (NA-19), 10. Mujahid Ali (NA-20), 11. Arbab Amir Ayub (NA-28), 12. Sher Ali Arbab (NA-30), 13. Shahid Ahmed (NA-34), 14. Gul Dad Khan (NA-40), 15. Sajid Khan (NA-42), 16. Mohammad Iqbal Khan (NA-44), 17. Aamer Mehmood Kiani (NA-61), 18. Syed Faizul Hassan (NA-70), 19. Chaudhry Shoukat Ali Bhab (NA-87), 20. Umar Aslam Khan (NA-93), 21. Amjad Ali Khan (NA-96), 22. Khurram Shahzad (NA-107), 23. Faizullah (NA-109), 24. Malik Karamat Ali Khokhar (NA-135), 25. Syed Fakhar Imam (NA-150), 26. Zahoor Hussain Qureshi (NA-152), 27. Ibraheem Khan (NA-158), 28. Tahir Iqbal (NA-164), 29. Aurangzeb Khan Khichi (NA-165), 30. Makhdoom Khusro BakhBar (NA-177), 31. Abdul Majeed Khan (NA-187), 32. Andaleeb Abbas (reserved seat), 33. Asma Qadeer (reserved seat), 34. Maleeka Ali Bokhari (reserved seat), and 35. Munawara Bibi Baloch (reserved seat).
The PTI had resigned en masse from the lower house of Parliament following the ouster of PTI chief Imran Khan in April last year. Subsequently, the National Assembly Speaker had accepted only 11 of the resignations, stating that the remaining lawmakers would be summoned individually for verification.
However, on Tuesday last, the NA Speaker accepted 35 resignations. Last month, the PTI members wanted to collectively appear before the NA Speaker for verification of their resignations, but the NA Secretariat had announced a clear policy regarding the confirmation of resignations of the PTI members, according to which, every party MNA had to personally confirm his resignation.
According to a press release issued by the NA Secretariat, the resignations were accepted in accordance with clause (1) of Article 64 of the Constitution and rules of procedure and conduct of Business in the National Assembly.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023