PTI’s resignations: Speaker involves ECP after high drama at parliament
The resignations of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s federal lawmakers could not be verified on Wednesday as both National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and PTI’s MNAs refused to budge on their respective stances.
The Parliament House saw a high drama as 25 PTI MPs, excluding party chairman Imran Khan, spent two-and-a-half hours in the Speaker’s Lounge, insisting that they should be allowed to verify their resignations en masse. Some 40 paces away, Speaker Sadiq kept on asking the lawmakers to verify their resignations individually.
The impasse prompted the speaker to refer the matter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to resolve the issue. “I had no option but to involve the ECP to resolve the issue,” he told reporters after the PTI lawmakers left.
Sadiq said he was initially hopeful that the matter would be resolved by Wednesday. “I received a letter from [PTI’s vice chairman] Shah Mehmood Qureshi wherein he wrote that ‘it will be up to to the [NA] speaker to decide if he wants to verify resignations individually or collectively,” he said. “Reading this, I was hopeful that the matter would be resolved.”
“But when the deputy speaker met the PTI lawmakers to ask them to appear before me one by one, he was told that I would have to present myself before them in the Speaker’s Lounge to verify their resignations en masse,” Sadiq added.
Earlier, upon reaching the Parliament House with other PTI MNAs, Qureshi said that while the speaker could verify their resignations individually, he would have to do so in the presence of other lawmakers of the party. Rumour has it that the PTI leadership is afraid that some of its lawmakers may take back their resignations if allowed to verify individually.
While leaving the Parliament House, Qureshi reiterated the statement. “I told the deputy speaker if the speaker wishes to meet us individually, he should do so.”
He accused the government of resorting to the ‘old tactics of horse-trading’ in a bid to dissuade the PTI MNAs from quitting. “The government has not learnt any lesson and offered our members money and ministries,” he alleged.
Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javaid Abbasi told reporters that they were trying to make the PTI lawmakers take back their resignations. “We hope they [PTI MNAs] will respect the mandate of the people… People did not vote for them so they could disrupt the entire system.”
Referring matter to ECP
Talking to The Express Tribune, ECP officials said referring the matter of PTI MNAs’ resignations to the commission would be like ‘sending a letter to a wrong address’. According to them, accepting or rejecting resignations of any member is the sole domain of the speaker of the respective assembly.
“Even if the speaker forwards the matter to the ECP, the commission will likely write back to the assembly saying it should deal with the matter itself,” an ECP official said. “Our role starts once we get a copy of notification from the speaker’s office that a particular seat has fallen vacant. We announce and organise polls on vacant seats.”
The official added that the speaker was not obliged to inform the ECP, even in case he or she rejected a member’s resignation.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2014.
COMMENTS (10)
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Actually PTI fanatic old man imran is afraid of that on going to assembly his MNAs will refuse to resign - therefore this drama of resignation is planned
@Taimoor: In principle it should be as you say it is. But i'm sure you would agree with the fact that there are instances of people being strong armed into doing things they don't actually agree with. Consider a situation where you would have to give testimony against Altaf Hussain, in the presence of Altaf Hussain himself and his henchmen. I don't consider the PTI to be gundas but we have to give some space to people. And if the PTI MNAs are actually committed to the cause, then they would follow the party instructions even if they are alone. After all, that has been their value proposition all along.
@taimoor when you are the custodian of the house you can do things your way but Mr. Speaker is only doing things according to the constitution and rules of business, if someone is trying to do their job honestly it should be respected rather than cursed
Clearly PTI does not even trust its own lawmakers that's why its reluctant to let its members appear before speaker individually.
PTI MNAs, why don't you all go to the parliament and resign like Hashmi did. Whose stopping you, go and resign, be a man. For we are actually tired of your dramas to stay relevant. Majority of the people have stopped watching the crying hour on TV and have moved on with their lives and can see through the lies and publicity stunt. Ex-PTI supporter/ voter
IK's main demand evolved to becoming PM of Pakistan and he cannot wait for another 4 years. However, it looks like the third empire or establishment do not trust him as he has been a loose cannon and has close relationship and soft corner for TTP. The irony is SMQ the biggest feudal, Pir, professional politician and an established lota would be a better man for the establishment. IK would remain a lifetime Chairman of PTI period.
PTI politicians have no shame. First they attack the very parliament that they were elected to serve in. Having failed there, they now resign from the seats they ran for elections for. And all on the ridiculous pretensions of Imran Khan that he has a "tsunami" of support behind him and therefore somehow is the Annointed King of Pakistan.
The speaker should accept resignations of all those PTI members who refused to even show up in person and confirm their resignations - and the parliament should then pass a law ban these and any future politicians from running for public office again.
the speaker is crazy, no other way to say it. Why individually, when someone says I quit there isn't any "are you sure", " is this your final answer"
Lets just get on to a merry go round
PTI is a party not individuals, these guys contested election under the manifesto of PTI so they they will obey party policy. If party has decided to resign then don't do stupid things Mr. speaker. Status quo parties will never stop cheap politics. Pakistan is continuously drowning due to their low calibre.