— The transfer comes as PTI pronounces to return to NA, calls for slots of Chief of Opposition, PAC chief
— Sh Rasheed of AML, two ladies lawmakers additionally denotified
ISLAMABAD: A day after PTI Chairman Imran Khan dropped a touch at return to the Nationwide Meeting, Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Tuesday accepted resignations of 35 PTI lawmakers, prompting the Election Fee of Pakistan (ECP) to de-notify 35 MNAs – 33 common and two reserved seats.
Along with the 35 PTI lawmakers, the ECP additionally de-notified Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.
Based on an ECP notification, 35 seats of the Nationwide Meeting at the moment are vacant together with 33 common and two reserved seats.
The 33 MNAs de-notified, embrace Murad Saeed, NA 04; Omer Ayub Khan, NA 17; Asad Qaiser, NA 18; Pervaiz Khattak, NA 25; Imran Khattak, NA 26; Sheharyar Afridi, NA 32; Ali Amin Khan, NA 38; Noor ul Haq Qadri, NA 43; Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, NA 52; Ali Nawaz Awan, NA 53; Asad Umer, NA 54; Sadaqat Ali Khan, NA 57; Ghulam Sardar Khan, NA 59; Sheikh Rashid Shafique, NA 60; Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, NA 62; Mansoor Hayat Khan, NA 63; Fawad Ahmed, NA 67; M Sanaullah Khan Mastikhel, NA 97; Muhammad Hammad Azhar, NA 126; Shafqat Mehmood Khan, NA 130; Malik Muhammad Amir Dogar, NA 155; Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Hussain Qureshi, NA 156; Zartaj Gul,NA 191; Faheem Khan, NA 241; Saif ur Rehman, NA 242; Muhammad Alamgir Khan, NA 243; Syed Ali Haider, NA 244; Aftab Hussain Shafique, NA 247; Attaullah, NA 250; Aftab Jehangir, NA 252; Muhammad Aslam Khan, NA 254; Muhammad Najeeb Haroon, NA 256 and Muhammad Qasim Khan Suri, NA 265.
Aliya Hamza Malik and Kanwal Shauzab, who have been elected as PTI MNAs on reserved seats for ladies from Punjab, have been additionally denotified.
The de-notification of the lawmakers comes days after PTI chief Imran acknowledged that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif could be requested to take the vote of confidence. With PTI dissident Raja Riaz holding the parliamentary get together chief’s place within the Nationwide Meeting, PTI fears that he might determine to vote in favour of the prime minister if President Dr Arif Alvi asks Shehbaz Sharif to take the belief vote.
Raja Riaz leads the group of PTI MNAs who didn’t tender their resignations when the get together determined to give up the meeting within the aftermath of Imran’s ouster.
In a gathering with media individuals at his Zaman Park residence on Monday, Imran mentioned planning and consultations with get together leaders in addition to authorized specialists have been afoot to strategise how PTI’s turncoats may be stopped from siding with the ruling coalition of Pakistan Democratic Motion (PDM).
Talking to the media in Lahore earlier in the present day, PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry mentioned that the after the dissolution of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab assemblies, the get together would concentrate on “sending the federal government house”.
He mentioned that the PTI needed to take a seat down with the federal authorities to work on an electoral framework. He famous that whereas Pakistan’s financial woes have been substantial, they may very well be solved if political stability was introduced.
“We would like the federal authorities to take a seat with us for [formulating] an election framework. However within the present state of affairs, the federal authorities is adamant on not holding elections.”
He mentioned that the PTI had fashioned a committee headed by Pervaiz Khattak that may go to the NA speaker and ask for get together members to be given the workplaces of chief of the opposition, parliamentary chief and chairman of the general public accounts committee.
“We’re hopeful that the plan for ousting the federal authorities will likely be accomplished in a couple of weeks.”
‘One other try to run away from common elections’
Reacting to the denotification of the lawmakers, Fawad “thanked” the NA speaker for accepting the resignations.
“However till you settle for 70 extra resignations, the posts of the NA opposition chief and the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee belong to the PTI,” he mentioned.
PTI central data secretary Farrukh Habib alleged the NA speaker had accepted the resignations with “unwell intent” as a result of he discovered that the PTI meant to take away Raja Riaz because the NA opposition chief.
PTI chief Hammad Azhar alleged that the Election Fee had “acquired orders from Avenfield”. “One other clumsy try to run away from common elections,” he mentioned.
PTI’s Zulfi Bukhari mentioned that the NA speaker had claimed he couldn’t settle for the resignations collectively and every lawmaker needed to confirm their resignations individually.
“Imran Khan thinks of re-entering the Nationwide Meeting to hunt a vote of no-confidence towards Shehbaz Sharif. Inside minutes there’s a mass acceptance,” he mentioned.
PTI’s en masse resignations
The PTI had introduced mass resignations from the Nationwide Meeting in April final 12 months, a day after get together chief Imran Khan’s ouster because the prime minister by means of a no-confidence vote and shortly earlier than Shehbaz Sharif was elected as his successor.
Nationwide Meeting Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf on July 28, 2022 accepted the resignations of solely 11 PTI lawmakers who had resigned after the vote of no confidence towards the previous PM.
The PTI had first challenged the transfer within the Islamabad Excessive Court docket (IHC) on August 1, contesting that it was “unsustainable”. The IHC, nevertheless, had dismissed the petition on Sept 6, 2022.
The get together then approached the Supreme Court docket, praying it to put aside the IHC order, terming it “obscure, cursory, and towards the legislation”. A call on the PTI’s plea within the apex court docket remains to be pending.
Ashraf informed a PTI delegation on Dec 29, 2022 that the get together’s lawmakers could be summoned individually for verification of their resignations because the latter insisted on them being accepted in a single go.