PTI leadership laments resignations of MNAs

Party loses its role in the process of forming a caretaker federal government

The Pakistan Tahrik-eInsaf (PTI) party is lamenting its decision to accept the resignations of its lawmakers by the Speaker of the National Assembly, as it has lost its role in the constitutional process of forming a caretaker government at the federal level.

Political and legal experts say the acceptance of the resignations has shattered the hopes of party leaders to reenter the National Assembly.

The PTI lost the opportunity to nominate a caretaker Prime Minister with the government after the completion of the constitutional tenure of the National Assembly.

ANP leader Wajid Ali Khan said that PTI’s MNAs should blame themselves for their irrational decision of tendering resignations from the National Assembly and that it would further cost them politically in the upcoming elections.

ANP leader Wajid Ali Khan said that PTI’s MNAs should blame themselves for their irrational decision of tendering resignations from National Assembly.

No justification

He said that no justification was left with PTI’s denotified MNAs to protest outside of the speaker’s house for withdrawal of resignations after its acceptance, adding that the Imran Khan-led party apparently wanted to replace MNA Raja Riaz as a leader of the opposition.

Wajid Ali said the Speaker was left with no choice but to accept PTI’s lawmakers’ resignations after they turned down his several requests to appear one by one for verification.

Yesterday, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf approved the resignations of another 43 lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Earlier, the resignations of 70 PTI’s MNAs were accepted in two phases by the speaker, who waited for nearly eight months for verification of their resignations before their de-notification by the ECP.

A total of 131 MNAs of PTI had submitted resignations minutes before the election of Shehbaz Sharif as the Prime Minister of Pakistan in April last year after the end of Imran Khan government through a successful no confidence vote by the National Assembly.