KARACHI: Acting on an order of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, all its representatives in the Sindh Assembly, including the one who has been proved guilty of rigging the last year elections, filed their resignations in person in the assembly secretariat on Monday afternoon.

Secretary of the provincial assembly Farooq Buriro received the resignations.

After the election tribunal decision declaring Abdul Razzak of the Jamaat-i-Islami to have won the election from PS-93 constituency with allegations of rigging being proved against PTI candidate Syed Hafeezuddin, the PTI has been left with three lawmakers in the Sindh Assembly — Dr Seema Zia, Samar Ali Khan and Khurram Sherzaman.

During their visit on Monday afternoon, the three legislators were accompanied by Mr Hafeezuddin who told the media that he also resigned from the assembly seat as per the directive of the party despite the fact that he had obtained a stay order from the apex court against his unseating by the election tribunal.

When Mr Buriro was asked about the status of Mr Hafeezuddin, he said that according to the Election Commission notification, dated Aug 8, Abdul Razzaq had been declared elected member from the PS-93 constituency. He said the resignation of Mr Hafeezuddin had no value.

Asked when the fate of the three other PTI lawmakers would be decided, Mr Buriro said the resignations would be submitted to Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, who would take a final decision.

In reply to the question whether JI lawmaker Abdul Razzaq would be administered the oath if the assembly was summoned within the next few days, the secretary said Mr Razzaq would be administered the oath if the secretariat did not receive a fresh notification repealing the Aug 8 notification of the election commission.

After submitting the resignations, Mr Khan claimed that the members had handed over their resignations to him when the party had decided to resign from the assemblies. But, he said, they had not been submitted earlier as they were waiting for a signal from the party high command. The directive was received on Sunday night, he explained.

Also, Mr Hafeezuddin said they were resigning from the assembly as per party policy in protest against rigging in the elections.

Mr Sherzaman said they failed to get cooperation from the government though they had raised issues being faced by the people.

Dr Seema Zia said the assemblies had failed to come to the expectations of the people.

When she was asked how the PTI’s elected president Javed Hashmi could be fired by its chairman without pursuing the laid down procedure, she said the decision to remove Mr Hashmi from the party was not taken by Imran Khan but by the PTI core committee which was announced by the chairman.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2014