Resignation of only one PTI MNA suspended, clarifies IHC

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) clarified on Monday that the resignation of only one out of 11 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members had been suspended , and not the rest.

The high court observed this while hearing PTI MNA Abdul Shakoor Shad's plea challenging the acceptance of a resignation from his Nationoal Assembly seat. The hearing was headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah.

The IHC explained that the notification of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was suspended to the extent of Shad only.

The chief justice told the petitioner’s counsel that the notification was not suspended for all members. In response, Shad’s lawyer said that the ECP had notified all 11 members together.

Read PTI suspends MNA’s membership for challenging resignation in IHC

However, Chief Justice Minallah clarified that the notification was suspended to the extent of one member only.

The court adjourned further hearing of the case.

It was earlier reported that the IHC had suspended the ECP and National Assembly secretariat’s notifications about the resignations and de-notification of 11 PTI MNAs approved by Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.

Shad, the PTI lawmaker from Karachi’s NA-246 constituency (Lyari), had challenged his resignation in the IHC, claiming that he had not left his National Assembly seat and that his resignation letter was written by a computer operator at PTI's head office and was signed by 123 members.

Subsequently, the IHC suspended the notification that had declared the NA-246 seat from Lyari, Karachi vacant.