ISLAMABAD, Oct 1: Resignations of at least 84 members of the National Assembly belonging to the All Parties Democratic Movement are likely to be submitted on Tuesday.
Legislators of the alliance in the assemblies of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab will also submit their resignations.
Opposition parties have given a call for a countrywide black day and a shutter-down strike on Oct 6.
Activists of APDM parties have been asked to take out processions in cities and towns across the country to mobilise people for the strike, sources said.
Opposition leaders are hoping that Wednesday’s meeting of the PPP in London may also support the decision to resign from assemblies and boost opposition efforts to stop the presidential election.
Of the 236 resignations collected by Raja Zafarul Haq on Saturday, 84 are from member of the National Assembly and the rest from provincial legislators.
Maulana Hamidul Haq, son of dissident MMA leader Maulana Samiul Haq, is among those who have submitted their resignations.
Opposition leaders are confident that the only MPA of the Samiul Haq group in the NWFP assembly, Ikramullah Shahid, would also fall in line, raising the total number of resignations to 30.
Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, secretary-general of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl said that except for Maulana Ataur Rahman, brother of Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and Maulana Sadiq (from Fata), all MNAs had reached Islamabad to personally submit their resignations.
He said that two JUI-F MNAs, who were in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, would submit their resignations after their expected return on Wednesday or Thursday.Meanwhile, JUI-F’s Hafiz Hussain Ahmed personally submitted his resignation to the secretary of the National Assembly on Monday, contending that he had been constrained to do so because he had earlier submitted his resignation to leaders of his party and MMA but they did not present it to the speaker.
When it was pointed out that because MMA was delaying its advice for dissolution of the NWFP and lawyers had questioned the alliance’s resolve in this regard, Maulana Haideri said: “Lawyers better not meddle in politics. It is the domain of politicians and they can take a timely decision.”
He claimed that the opposition would not be able to stall the planned dissolution.
He also said that after the defeat of the no-confidence motion, the NWFP chief minister would advise the governor to dissolve the provincial assembly.
