Qasim Suri accepts resignations of 123 PTI MNAs
ISLAMABAD, April 14 (SABAH): The Deputy Speaker of National Assembly Qasim Khan Suri on Thursday accepted the resignations of 123 PTI MNAs after they decided to disassociate themselves from the National Assembly following the ouster of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan from the office of the prime minister.
Imran Khan was ousted through a no-confidence motion brought against him by the then joint Opposition, a move that the PTI called a “foreign conspiracy” hatched by the United States. The allegation, however, has been categorically denied by the superpower.
After being removed from the office, the former premier asked his MNAs to tender their resignations and refused to accept the newly elected premier, saying “there can’t be any bigger insult to this country”.
Taking to Twitter Thursday, Imran Khan lauded his MNAs for tendering their resignations. “Want to appreciate our 123 MNAs as their resignations have been accepted by Speaker Qasim Suri. Their standing firm for a sovereign Pak & against US-initiated regime change bringing to power criminals, convicted & on bail — the ultimate insult to any self-respecting independent nation.”
Responding to the call of the former prime minister, PTI’s MNAs tendered their resignations to the deputy speaker of the National Assembly hours before the election of Shehbaz Sharif as the new prime minister.
The decision was reportedly made during the PTI’s parliamentary party meeting on April 11.
PTI leader Farrukh Habib on Thursday said the resignations of 123 legislators of his party had been accepted by acting speaker of the National Assembly, Qasim Suri. A notification has also been issued in this regard, the ex-minister said in a tweet.
Habib, a former state minister in the recently dissolved government of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, said general elections had now become inevitable in the country after the acceptance of resignations submitted by the PTI lawmakers.
In all, the PTI has 155 members in the 272-member House, of them, 20 are dissidents who have been served notices by the party. The decision of the remaining 12 lawmakers remains unclear.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Khan has written a letter to the ECP, saying that no member of the PTI should be nominated to any committee as the party lawmakers had already tendered their resignations from the lower house of the parliament on April 11.
“In the wake of foreign intervention into internal affairs of Pakistan and the events and circumstances related thereto, PTI decided not to be the part of the ultra-constitutional exercise of regime change and formation of an imported government,” he wrote in the letter.
Imran Khan pointed out that there was no representative of the PTI in the National Assembly, while defectors had already been proceeded against under Article 63-A of the Constitution
“I hereby withdraw all names given in the list to this commission in priority on women as well as minority seats. I, therefore, declare that PTI will not be a party to any proceedings, steps or action taken on its behalf on any forum and will outrightly reject any/all efforts to use the Name of PTI.”