In a major political development, Sindh Assembly on Wednesday became the first legislature to show the doors to all provincial lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) when Speaker Agha Siraj Khan Durrani finally approved their resignations. The PTI lawmakers' resignations which were submitted to the Speaker a long time ago were approved ahead of the Senate polls which are scheduled to be held in March this year.
With the approval of PTI legislators' resignations, four seats - three of MPAs elected from different constituencies of Karachi and one woman legislator who was elected on reserved seats - have fallen vacant. With no member in the house, the PTI won't be able to contest the Senate's election from the province. "Resignations of PTI legislators have been accepted and Election Commission of Pakistan has been duly informed about it," Agha Siraj Khan Durrani told the house.
The PTO lawmakers, who have been unseated following acceptance of their resignations, include Khurram Sher Zaman Khan, Syed Hafeezuddin and Samar Ali Khan. They were elected to the Assembly from PS-112, PS- 93 and PS- 113, respectively, in the general elections held in 2013, whereas Dr Seema Zia was elected on reserved seat. With the approval of their resignations, the PTI has lost its representation in Sindh Assembly.
Meanwhile, resignations of PTI MNAs and Punjab Assembly's MPAs are yet to be accepted. The PTI legislators belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly were not forced to tender their resignations, while the party has no representation in Balochistan Assembly. The PTI lawmakers had tendered their resignations when their party had staged a protest sit-in in Islamabad against the PML-N government. The PTI's act of tendering resignations was, however, described as 'emotional' move by analysts.