Speaker Muhammad Rana Iqbal had summoned PTI lawmakers to verify their resignations submitted on August 27. Iqbal insisted on verifying them individually while the MPAs refused – the deadlock continued for over three hours.
The MPAs arrived at the Punjab Assembly around 11am shouting “Go Nawaz, Go”. Of the 30 PTI members in the provincial assembly, 29 have submitted resignations.
Led by opposition leader Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, the 29 lawmakers gathered in the conference room next to the speaker’s chamber and said they were prepared to verify their resignations en masse. Former law minister Rana Sanaullah, Deputy Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani and MPA Zaeem Qadri, spokesperson for the Punjab government, tried to negotiate with the lawmakers but they refused to budge.
Earlier, Gorchani told journalists that they were unsure about the authenticity of five of the resignation letters. He said that made it necessary to verify all resignations individually.
When Rasheed insisted that the speaker address the PTI lawmakers in the conference room, the speaker’s secretary, Rai Mumtaz, intervened. He said according to rules of procedure, the speaker was bound to verify each of the resignations individually.
Speaker Muhammad Rana Iqbal, who waited for the lawmakers in his chamber from 10am to 3:30pm, expressed frustration over the lawmakers’ stance. He said each lawmaker had been granted 10 minutes to verify his or her resignation. “I have to follow rules of procedure,” he said.
The government claims substantial grounds to verify resignations individually after an MNA of the PTI, Siraj Khan, wrote to the National Assembly speaker claiming that he had not resigned voluntarily. On the other hand, the PTI claims that the government was trying to buy out their lawmakers’ loyalties.
Addressing journalists later, Sanaullah said Siraj Khan’s case raised several questions which could only be answered through individual verification of resignations. He said it was necessary to avoid confusion.
Rasheed said they would chart a course of action after consulting with party leaders.
The Punjab Assembly speaker said they would discuss the matter with legal experts to find a way out of the impasse.
On October 29, 25 lawmakers of the PTI went to the National Assembly to verify their resignations before Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. They arrived at a deadlock over individual verification versus en masse verification and Sadiq referred the matter to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 8th, 2014.
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