PM election: PTI tells MNAs to vote for Qureshi or risk disqualification

As the National Assembly is all set to elect the 23rd prime minister of Pakistan after the ouster of PTI Chairperson Imran Khan through a vote of no-confidence, the former ruling party has directed its members to vote for its PM nominee, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, against joint opposition’s candidate Shehbaz Sharif.

In a letter written by PTI General Secretary Asad Umar, directives were issued to the party lawmakers “pursuant to directions of parliamentary leader and PTI chairman”.

“I take this opportunity to convey to you that all members of parliamentary party are required to attend the session of National Assembly on April 11 for election Prime Minister of Pakistan and vote in favour Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who has been nominated as the candidate for prime minister,” Umar wrote.

“In this regard, you are directed to attend the meeting of the parliamentary party, PTI which is scheduled to take place at 12 noon in Committee Room No.5, National Assembly of Pakistan,” the letter stated. It further said that the PTI MNAs were directed to vote in “accordance with the party policy in favour” of Qureshi.

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“All members of parliamentary party are required to adhere to these directions in true letter and spirit and the intent behind Article 63-A of Consitution of Pakistan,” it said while warning that any violation of these directives shall be amount to defection from the party and shall lead to disqualification from the membership of the National Assembly.

A day earlier, PTI senior leader Fawad Chaudhry had said that the PTI would resign en masse from the assemblies over nomination of Shehbaz for the PM slot and that the process to quit assemblies would start from the National Assembly on Monday.

In a tweet, Fawad, who served as an information minister in Imran Khan's cabinet, said, "The PTI has decided to resign from assemblies. This process [of resignations] will start from National Assembly tomorrow after the election of the prime minister."

However, a majority of PTI central executive committee (CEC) members have strongly opposed the idea of resignation en masse from national and provincial assemblies.

Sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that after the disagreement, the former ruling party’s core committee has decided to give the final say in the matter to party chairman Imran Khan and its parliamentary committee.