Pakistan

MQM labels PTI's participation in Parliament as unconstitutional

Farooq Sattar criticises PTI lawmakers for attending the session despite submitting their resignations

Web Desk April 06, 2015

An Express News screen grab of MQM leader Farooq Sattar.

Following a joint sitting of Parliament to consider whether Pakistan should join the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Farooq Sattar termed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) participation in today's session against the Constitution.

"Those who are trying to uphold democratic values are playing with the Constitution and are trying to manipulate the Constitution," the MQM leader said, while speaking to the media.

Read: LIVE: Joint session of Parliament on Yemen crisis begins

Sattar criticised PTI lawmakers for attending the session, stating the lawmakers had resigned from their membership but are now attending the session against the spirit of the House.

Read: PTI ends boycott of Parliament

The joint session was adjourned until later this evening on the account of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif not being present in the assembly.

Read: 150 Pakistanis board Pakistan Navy vessel from Yemen

The motion on the Yemen war was introduced by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif pertaining to whether and to what extent Pakistan should be involved in the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi militia in Yemen.

COMMENTS (20)

Mithidada | 9 years ago | Reply @Shahid: But if a member resigns then his seat SHALL fall vacant. Didn't these people resign and was not their resignation confirmed a dozen times by the leader of their party? If they had not signed their resignations, why did they not say so these last seven or eight months? It is because we are capable of such intellectual gymnastics that we shall never have supremacy of the law in Pakistan. The law will always be subject to political expediency, as it has been in this instance. As for the MQM leaders and whether the are eligible to sit in Parliament following the recent disclosures, yes, if any of them are found by a court of law to have been involved in illegal acts, then they should lose their membership. Till that happens, they have every right to sit in Parliament.

True Karachiwala | 9 years ago | Reply PTI's members were looking really poor while entering the house and please note specially Murad Saeed he was pretending like a kid who has been taking there and this kid is really amazed and awed by the occasion. I do not think any person or party has been used and discarded in such a disgraceful way. Again PTI absence here.

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Sunnil Sardar | 9 years ago | Reply What MQM says , it is not relevant. But I believe Dharna was the biggest set back for imran khan in his political career, he was not completely prepared for Dharna & miss calculated it , could not even gathered 100,000 people in islamabad from all over the pakistan. There are so many educated people from middle and lower middle class who like & support imran khan and even voted him in 2013 election but Imran should have known about this fact that this class cannot come out on street as they have so many other responsibilities like jobs,Studies & family;they are in a silent majority. he should learn about his mistake and before any such big event need to do complete homework & prepare himself, mobilize party and workers otherwise they will become a joke and people who look him as a leader will not be taking him seriously. This is my humble suggestion because pakistani nation cannot afford the loss of such leader; he is not perfect , make mistakes and u-turn as well but atleast he is honest , non-corrupt & want to do something for his country. i think , this is more than enough !!!

sammy | 9 years ago | Reply every act of mum is unconstitutional, illegal, and horrendous.. has everyone forgotten saulat mirza already?

W | 9 years ago | Reply @shahid: Thumbs up for your comment.

raider | 9 years ago | Reply @Shami: yes persons like farooq satter having stomach, guts and gestures, guy keeps intact all moralities, keep on kill peoples under narrative rivalry pack in buries and make them unidentifiable and throw barley in an abandoned place, extort money, kidnap children for ransom , kill peoples like bakras and muragas when you are required red bad blood, but it’s all about within limits of constitution but really it is extra-constitutional that pti comes in a parliament, is it the breach of law and should be punished, i second mqm

raider | 9 years ago | Reply @Shami: hahaha, how ISI is not in good faith with this country otherwise politicians were too honest and competent

shahid | 9 years ago | Reply Everything is un constitutional except for gunning down ordinary citizens of Pakistan, extorting them and destroying Pakistan.

Shami | 9 years ago | Reply Yes, Farooq Sattar is right, legally speaking, PTI lawmakers cannot enter the assemblies on two separate grounds (resigning in itself and being absent for 40 plus days). I'm fully agreed with Saimaa, PTI should keep distance from ISI, they have history of using parties and leaders and dumping them when they are no longer needed. In fact, the ISI will try to crush the same parties and leaders they once used, when they are no longer needed because at this point, the used party or leader now has a lot of secrets, and the ISI want to keep that concealed.

Saima | 9 years ago | Reply MQM has a valid point, but I don't think anyone will take up the issue due to the firestorm it will cause. I feel bad for IK, it must have been a humiliating feeling for him to have to walk into the National Assembly like that after all the choas and promises the PTI led this country through. IK needs to be more careful in terms of what he says, the promises he makes, and most importantly, the ISI officials (retired or not) who are guding him (presumably), as the PTI has now lost a lot of credibility, and I think they will lose badly in Karachi. I have a feeling that someone is "playing the fool" with IK and PTI, and IK is slowly starting to realize this.

Shahid | 9 years ago | Reply @Sajid Rabbani: There is no comparision. you are talking on assumptions.MQM is talking on Facts. but in your prejudice you refuse to see the obvios differnces.You are comparing a watermelon to an orange.

Syed Asad Hussain | 9 years ago | Reply A shame and disgust for both parliament and democracy when PTI returns to assemblies after resigning and for speakers of both NA and PA not accepting their resignations as per Constitution. 'Constitution my foot'-they quote the shiq of constitution when it suits them and ignore when not. This democracy surely sucks-be done by PTI, MQM, PML, or PPPP. No one has any respect for their own drafted Constitution.

pk | 9 years ago | Reply May isnt written in Article 64 (A) while to answer to Mr Sajids query if some criminals were caught let the judiciary decide youre no one to do media trial. IK going back has lost all morality today that even existed for a minor 1% He cannot and shouldnt talk abt parliament being farcical as he went inside it after seven months and compromised. He shouldnt talk abt force shutdown of Karachi even as he did that once also! PTI has lost all moral standing and lost my vote! They are worst opportunists! I thought they were different but i was wrong they turned out farcical and frankly thuk kai chaat kar ayein hain! Shame!

Blithe | 9 years ago | Reply Love the u-turns being made by pti and their trolls . The are coated in hypocrasicy and deep fried in contradictions. .

Urban Legend | 9 years ago | Reply MQM doesn't need to comment on PTI. PTI is a bunch of pure opportunists come together, who are far more refined than other politicians in their games.

Anarchist | 9 years ago | Reply @Truth is bitter: 'A House may declare the seat of a member vacant if, without leave of the House, he remains absent for forty consecutive days of its sittings'. MQM should have moved a motion for declaring PTI members' seats vacant. Now, they can take the matter to Supreme Court, which wont be of much help.

Shahid | 9 years ago | Reply @Truth is bitter: You are wrong. The clause says, house 'may' declare the seat vacant. The house chose not to do that.

Sajid Rabbani | 9 years ago | Reply Just recently and on record, many criminals including target killers were caught from nine zero and MQM still coming to NA. Is that constitutional ?

Truth is bitter | 9 years ago | Reply Like it or not..MQM is right.. Article 64: Vacation of seats A Member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) may, by writing under his hand addressed to the Speaker or, as the case may be, the Chairman resign his seat, and thereupon his seat shall become vacant. A House may declare the seat of a member vacant if, without leave of the House, he remains absent for forty consecutive days of its sittings.

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