ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday addressed the reporters outside the Parliament and said his party's point of action was clear and that its lawmakers have resigned from the National Assembly.
“PTI tried all constitutional means to highlight the massive rigging during the 2013 General Elections,” he said.
“We have said it many times that we have resigned. We have fulfilled the criteria of Article 64 of the Constitution,” Qureshi said, adding that the PTI lawmakers came to the Speaker's chamber on his call and waited for more than two hours but he did not show up.
The PTI leader said that they have informed the Deputy Speaker to convey the word to Sardar Ayaz Sadiq that PTI lawmakers stood by their resignations. “We obeyed our constitutional responsibility by coming for the verification,” he added.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi lamented the attitude of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government and said, “They have learnt nothing from the past and continue to practice the politics of horse trading.”
He claimed that PTI lawmakers were individually approached by the government and were offered ministries and money as bribe.
Deadlock persists over PTI lawmakers' resignations
Deadlock persists over the issue of resignations of PTI lawmakers from the National Assembly with NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq insisting that each lawmaker show up individually in his chambers for verification as opposed to making a collective appearance.
Speaking to media representatives outside the Parliament, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that despite repeated efforts PTI MNAs decided against appearing individually in his office for verification of their resignations.
He said that he was left with no other option but to apprise the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the matter.
PTI lawmakers who were outside the speaker’s chamber were scheduled to meet Sadiq at 2pm today. The speaker had sought the lawmakers’ personal appearance in his office for confirmation of their decisions.
Sadiq had set October 29 as the last date for the lawmakers’ appearances so that he could forward their resignations to the Election Commission of Pakistan for further procedure.
As the lawmakers stood outside the speaker’s chamber, PTI leader Naz Baloch lamented Sadiq’s role on the issue, saying he had “wasted everyone’s time and did not come out of his office".
She added that the NA Speaker was violating Article 64 of the Constitution which states that "a member of Majlis-i-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".
Baloch questioned as to "why the resignations of those members who were present in the Speker's chamber not accepted”.
Earlier in August, PTI lawmakers had submitted their resignations from the National Assembly. The resignations had come as the party was engaged in protests and sit-ins against the Nawaz government over alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections.
Take a look: NA speaker again seeks PTI members’ appearance
Separately, Mazari said the PTI would not partake in local body elections.
Bilawal says he would have accepted PTI resignations
Taking a dig at Sadiq, patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took to his official Twitter account to tweet:
