Parliamentary huddle: Nawaz advised not to accept PTI’s resignations

Parliamentary leaders hope PTI sit-in will also fizzle out .

ISLAMABAD:

As the government heaved a sigh of relief after the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) winded up its 67-day-long dharna in the federal capital, parliamentary leaders of different parties advised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday not to accept the resignations of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers, sources told The Express Tribune.

The advice was given in a meeting of the parliamentary leaders convened by the prime minister at his chamber in the parliament to discuss the prevailing political situation in the country. Sources, however, said the prime minister wanted to thank the parliamentary leaders for their unequivocal support during the political turmoil triggered by the protest sit-ins of the PAT and PTI.

Though PAT called off its sit-in on Tuesday, Imran Khan’s party says it will not relent until the prime minister resigns and orders an impartial audit of the 2013 parliamentary elections which, it claims, were massively rigged in favour of the PML-N.



All federal lawmakers of the PTI had submitted their resignations en masse on August 22 which are pending approval with National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.

During Wednesday’s huddle, most parliamentary leaders — including leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah — advised Premier Nawaz to ask the speaker not to accept the resignations, sources said.

According to them, the Rules of Business of the National Assembly and the Constitution are silent on any timeframe for the speaker to verify the resignation of a lawmaker. Sources said the prime minister listened to the parliamentary leaders but decided to defer the matter until their next meeting.

Participants of the meeting said the PTI dharna would also fizzle out soon. They said Imran’s dharna had become symbolic and posed no threat to the government. Sources quoted the prime minister as telling the meeting that Imran’s party was staging rallies in different cities of the country and “now is not the appropriate time to negotiate with them”.

The prime minister also apprised the meeting of the combined opposition’s decision to withdraw a no-confidence motion against Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak in the provincial assembly. He said the PTI-led government was under a lot of pressure to deliver on its promise of ‘Naya Pakistan’. The parliamentary leaders agreed that Imran was losing ground in K-P.

The prime minister credited the parliamentary leaders with the PAT decision to wind up its dharna. He told the participants that he has stopped the ruling party lawmakers from making statements against Dr Tahirul Qadri. According to sources, some participants asked if Qadri’s decision was the result of some deal between the government and PAT. The prime minister, however, laughed off the query without confirming or denying that a deal was struck.

About the defeat of Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in the Multan by-elections, the prime minister told the meeting that JUI-F supporters didn’t vote for Hashmi even though all political parties had agreed to support Hashmi in the NA-149 by-polls.



According to an official handout, Premier Nawaz said that all political issues should be discussed and resolved in the parliament. “All political parties should play their due role in transforming Pakistan into a prosperous and developed country. We are trying to ensure good governance in the country through a consultative process which also includes the opposition parties,” he added.

The prime minister also briefed the parliamentary leaders on the ongoing tensions with India triggered by border skirmishes and the upcoming visit of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. “Pakistan wants to cultivate cordial relations with all the countries in the region. Our armed forces are fighting courageously in North Waziristan against terrorists and giving sacrifices to ensure a peaceful and secure Pakistan,” he said.

Attendees at the meeting included Syed Khursheed Shah and Aitzaz Ahsan of the PPP, Farooq Sattar of the MQM, Mehmood Khan Achakzai of the PkMAP, Aftab Khan Sherpao of Qaumi Wattan Party, Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour of the ANP, Ejazul Haq of the PML-Zia, federal ministers and other parliamentary leaders.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2014.