LAHORE: The opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly claims that all Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers have handed over their resignations to him.

Mian Mahmoodur Rashid, who is also PTI's core committee member, made the claim after presiding over a meeting of the parliamentary party on Wednesday.The resignations of the PTI MPAs, he said, would be forwarded to the Punjab Assembly speaker after a green signal by the party leadership.

Talking to the media, he said the government 'surrendered' and agreed to talks after the news that civil and police administration had stopped obeying orders of the prime minister.

Replying to a query about making parliament the forum for resolving issues, Mr Rashid said which parliament did Nawaz talk of?

"The parliament where he himself does not like to sit!"

He said the "drawing room politics" and "politics of deals" were not something Imran Khan was aware of. "Now all the decisions will be taken in the open and in the Red Zone where PTI workers and leaders were present.

He claimed the Nawaz government was now at the mercy of those sitting in the open in Islamabad.

He said this was the first people's protest movement in the country and PTI's journey from Zaman Park in Lahore to Islamabad's Red Zone proved it was a peace-loving party.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2014