The en masse resignations by PTI legislators are under the hammer of law. The Islamabad High Court categorically observed that the Deputy Speaker had no right to accept the stand downs, and likewise the new Speaker’s piecemeal signing them off is ordained. This has come as a severe blow to the ousted government lawmakers, who were hoping in the largesse of the court to declare resignations as lawful and accepted. The IHC apparently by taking a cue from the apex court judgment said that it would not like to comment on Speaker’s conduct and, thus, his summoning of each and every resigned member is lawful.
The PTI, which is eloquently demanding fresh elections, was eager to see the resignations come through so that they act as a pressure tactic on the ECP. It is more concerned, and rather in a bizarre mood, as the Speaker is vetting each and every resignation, and has only accepted 11 out of 123 parliamentarians. The upcoming bye-polls in nine constituencies, which ex-PM Imran Khan is contesting singularly, is a case in point asserting how indispensable are resignations’ acceptance to the PTI to smoothen the ground for an early countrywide ballot.
The fact that the PTI’s plea for a larger bench was also dismissed, and the former Deputy Speaker’s role was termed unconstitutional will surely stir a legal debate. The honourable IHC chief justice maintained that all resigned members must have visited the Speaker in person for verifying their resignations. This puts the entire paradigm to square-one. This aspect pertains to calls from concerned quarters, including the Supreme Court, urging the PTI MNAs to go back to the parliament if they intended a real change in legislation on crucial issues. Last but not least, the doubt over the authenticity of typed resignations in a similar format — and not handwritten as supposed by law — has taken heat out of the resignations complexity. The PTI lawmakers will be better advised to go by the book and either rewrite their renunciation or appear in person before the Speaker, in all humility.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2022.
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