LAHORE: Neither the three members of the Punjab Assembly nor the two members of the National Assembly, who had announced their resignations at a Khatm-i-Nubuwat conference in Faisal­abad on Sunday, submitted applications to their respective assembly secretariats, officials said on Monday.

However, according to MPA Sahibzada Ghulam Nizamuddin Sialvi, one of the five lawmakers, they will submit their resignations to their respective houses on Tuesday (today).

Besides Mr Sialvi, MPAs Maulana Rehmatullah and Muhammad Khan Baloch, along with MNAs Nisar Jutt and Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had declared at the Khatm-i-Nubuwat moot organised by the Pir of Sial Sharif, Muhammad Hameeduddin Sialvi, a former senator from Sargodha, that they would resign from their seats in protest against the provincial government’s unwillingness to sack Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.

Assembly officials told Dawn that the five legislators were yet to submit written documents or use formal means to inform the provincial and national assemblies about their decision to quit.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal said that besides submitting a written and duly-signed resignation letter, the three MPAs would have to appear in person before him to verify the letters, which would also be checked for any signs of forgery. If they managed to convince their respective speakers that their decision to quit had been taken out of their free will, the relevant assembly secretariat would then forward their letters to the Election Commission of Pakistan so that they could notify the seats as vacant and make preparations to hold by-polls.

Pir Sialvi had earlier announced that 50 lawmakers would present their resignations at the Khatm-i-Nubuwat conference held at the Dhobi Ghat ground in Faisalabad. A spokesperson for the Sial Sharif shrine had claimed the caretakers of most of the various eminent shrines would participate in the conference, in which the chairmen and councillors of union councils would also announce their resignations.

Sources told Dawn on Monday that Pir Sialvi’s followers were renewing their efforts to persuade at least 10-14 parliamentarians to resign.

Separately, MPA Sialvi explained that since the lawmakers, who had announced their resignations, had been occupied with the Faisalabad moot till late on Sunday night, they were unable to prepare their documents and letters of resignation. However, these would be delivered through special messengers to the offices of the national and provincial assemblies on Tuesday, he said.

In reply to a question, he said the lawmakers would appear before the speakers of the national and provincial assemblies in person if required to verify their resignation documents.

“This would be our last appearance before the PML-N leadership,” he added.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2017