ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers have decided to hand in their resignations to party chairman Imran Khan and empowered him to take the decision whenever needed. The decision was taken at a meeting of PTI’s parliamentary party at the Parliament House on Monday.
“The meeting unanimously decided to hand over the resignations [of parliamentarians] to Imran Khan who would decide when they should be presented to the National Assembly speaker,” said PTI deputy parliamentary leader and vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi after the huddle. The meeting was convened before the National Assembly went into session. Qureshi chaired the meeting in the absence of the party chairman.
Three crunch questions figured at the meeting – Palestine, invocation of Article 245 of the Constitution by the government and the possible resignation of PTI lawmakers from the assemblies, according to the PTI vice chairman. Out of 34 members in the lower house, PTI has 27 general seats, six reserved for women and one for minorities.
About the Palestinian issue, Qureshi, who had also served as foreign minister during the last regime, said that Pakistan had a stated position over the issue. However, the government’s silence was quite surprising. “The prime minister has not issued a single statement,” he added. There should be an immediate ceasefire in Palestine and the government should play its due role.
Talking about Article 245, Qureshi said, “It is a political ploy to circumvent PTI’s march.” He added that the government can invoke Article 245 but circumstances, at this juncture, do not warrant the decision.
In order to substantiate his point, Qureshi said that life in Islamabad was quite normal and there was no need to take extraordinary steps like invoking Article 245. Why were such steps not taken in Karachi where the law and order situation is far from satisfactory? “The government should immediately take back its decision and for that, we are approaching other political parties as well.”
He said the PTI had also submitted an adjournment motion in the assembly and would take up the issue during the session.
The party also discussed preparations for the Azadi March for which the party has asked the government to prorogue the lower house session on August 12. The decision to continue the NA session till August 12 – which was supposed to last until August 17 – was taken during the business advisory committee’s meeting of the lower house, which has representation from all political parties.
Though the decision had been taken and the NA Secretariat had issued a statement, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah opposed it and urged the speaker for a review during Monday’s proceedings of the lower house. “The session should not end on August 12 and should continue,” Shah said.
Responding to the opposition leader, the NA speaker said he would get back to him after consulting leaders of other political parties for another meeting to review the decision.
Imran gets Mengal’s support
PTI chief Imran Khan contacted Akhtar Mengal, the chief of Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), on Monday and invited him to participate in his August 14 protest march to Islamabad.
Shireen Mazari, PTI’s information secretary, claimed that the Baloch nationalist leader has assured Imran of his party’s support. BNP-M will participate in PTI’s Azadi March, she announced.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi and K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, meanwhile, met Jamaa- e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq to formally invite his party to participate in the march.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 5th, 2014.
COMMENTS (11)
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I do not think that MPAs of PTI would want to resign because they may not get chance next time. Further, the allies would not be happy too.
Pakistan is on path to becoming the next Iraq, Syria, Eygpt, or Libya in the name of "revolution" with IK and TUQ leading the dollar funded campaign against a democratic system, that has taken decades to start taking a foot hold. I hope despite PTI's efforts to spread anarchy, their sinister agendas are buried forever at D Chowk.
It is joke with people mandate given to PTI.
Please handover the letters tomorrow and be done with it. There is no need for this drama. Parliament was never a priority for PTI and sooner they leave better it will be for tax payers.
same old tactics ,no change and Naya Pakistan!
I think this fairly brave of PTI considering that if their march fails (which I hope won't), there would be no real opposition left in the Assembly as you can't trust these PML-N people to hold credible by-elections. So, IK leave this as a last resort and don't just make these decisions in the heat of the moment.
I must congratulate PTI and in particulars its leaders IK and MQ in excelling in psychological warfare. They have really caused the Government to shiver just because of their posturing. Their actual march may not create such an impact.
Article 245 imposition is causing a lot of anxiety to PTI. Why? Do they plan to take law into their own hands and fear the Army's backlash? If not, what is the cause of anxiety?
The people like Shah Mahmoud Qureshi who are the Landlords of their region. Sellers of faith, acting as the enforced God on the slave population of South Punjab and who dont allow schools to open up in their regions are talking about change?. Irony. Is not it?
Locked , loaded , pointing to their own PTI temple - and boom!
PTI just had 30 odd seats in parliment . We saw how much the piped piper mislead the youth in 2013 ... And how the "90 day man" has had zero performance in KPK even in 550 days!!
Now it's just sbout piri-mureedi! Qureshi will bring his mureeds (disciples) and Qadari will bring his ..What's so revelationsry sbout piri-mureedi??? Yawn...