Okayed PTI resignations after satisfaction: speaker

Govt plans to give nod to more departures as PTI huddle today to decide key NA slots

ISLAMABAD:

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Thursday maintained that he had accepted the resignations of those PTI MNAs, who had satisfied him that they had willingly chosen to leave the House, while the federal government plans to give the nod to more departures soon with the parliamentary race intensifying between the ruling coalition and opposition.

In the wake of the PTI’s announcement that it would return to the NA, the speaker, while speaking to the media in Islamabad, claimed that a delegation of the opposition party had come to meet him.

“They [PTI MNAs] then went to the media and confirmed that they had willingly tendered their resignations. Satisfied by their statements, I accepted their resignations,” he added.

The speaker further maintained that several PTI MNAs had reached out to him and informed him about having second thoughts about their resignations.

“I will decide their [PTI MNAs] cases when they satisfy me,” he said.

When a reporter pointed out that he had accepted the resignations after PTI chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan had announced his party’s return to the NA, the speaker denied that his decision had anything to do with it.

“It’s nothing like this and this just a false impression,” he claimed.

The NA speaker said the process for the acceptance of resignations had already kicked off at the time when the PTI delegation had recently met him.

“There is hue and cry when I don’t accept the resignations and then statements and speeches when I do,” he added.

Ashraf said he wanted the PTI MNAs, whose resignations had not been accepted yet, to return to the NA.

The NA speaker had recently accepted the resignations of 34 PTI MNAs as well as that of Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid.

Last year, he had accepted the resignations of 11 PTI lawmakers.

Apart from a war of words, the clash between the ruling coalition and the opposition PTI has intensified in the parliamentary field as well.

On one hand, the PTI has directed its MNAs to reach Islamabad on Friday (today), and on the other, the government has hinted that it was considering accepting more resignations of the rival party’s lawmakers.

Following the PTI’s announcement that its MNAs would reach the federal capital on Friday on which an NA session was scheduled to be held, it has been put  off for a week – until January 27.

Sources said the remaining PTI MNAs had even booked their tickets to reach Islamabad on Friday.

After the recent development, the PTI parliamentary party is expected to meet on Friday or Saturday.

During the huddle, the MNAs for the slots of the party’s parliamentary leader, its chief whip and other key positions will selected.

Sources said the PTI would soon file an application for the post of the opposition leader in the NA.

Party leader Asad Umar has been assigned a major responsibility for this task.

On the other hand, deliberations are under way at the speaker’s office to accept more resignations of the PTI MNAs.

In the wake of the PTI MNAs' anticipated return to the NA, the sources said the government had chalked out a plan to accept more resignations.

The PTI has also short-listed the names for the slots of the opposition leader, parliamentary leader and Public Accounts Committee chief.

The sources said the names of Fakhar Imam, Riaz Fatyana and Munaza Hassan were under consideration.

However, the PTI chairman will make the final decision for these slots.