ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has agreed to receive all MNAs of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf together for verification of their resignations.
“If all of them want to come with Imran Khan, holding one another’s hand, they can,” the speaker said at news conference here on Monday.
“I remain in the office. Those who say I am not found there just make lame excuses,” he said.
Know more: PTI MNA resignations: NA speaker faces a tough choice
The press conference, which the speaker had called to brief newsmen about his recent visit to Cameroon to attend the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, coincided with the day he had invited PTI Chairman Imran Khan and three other PTI MNAs to come to his office and verify their resignations.
Mr Sadiq said he had invited six other PTI legislators to come to his office and get their resignations verified on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Indirectly criticising the role of media in the present crisis, he said the media should not give coverage to negative things and should only highlight positive things which would help improve situation in the country.
The speaker had earlier announced to invite the PTI lawmakers in groups to verify their resignations and confirm that they were willing to quit the National Assembly of their own free will.
The PTI lawmakers refused to appear before the speaker individually, but the latter insisted that he wanted to meet them in person to verify their intention to quit the house.
The PTI leadership maintained that since all 30 members had submitted their resignations en masse, they should be accepted simultaneously.
Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2014