ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday managed to persuade Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to withdraw his party’s motion seeking to deseat the 28 lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf for being absent from the National Assembly for more than 40 days without intimation.

Talking to the press after a meeting with a government delegation, the Maulana said his party had decided to withdraw the motion at the request of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But he added that a new motion would be moved in the assembly soon.

Also read: JUI-F, MQM refuse to withdraw motions for de-seating PTI MNAs

Without divulging the text of the new motion, the JUI-F chief said he would ask the speaker to call a meeting of leaders of all parliamentary parties for a consensus on his proposed new motion.

“If all the parties agree, we will accept the prime minister’s request and withdraw our earlier motion,” he said.

Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid also spoke to the media and praised the JUI-F chief for accepting the prime minister’s request. He said the Muttahida Qaumi Movement should also show some flexibility on the issue. Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Irfan Siddiqui, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Affairs; were also present at the meeting which was held at the residence of Minister for Housing and Works Akram Khan Durrani.

Talking to Dawn, JUI-F spokesperson Jan Achakzai said the new motion might ask PTI members to declare that they had tendered their resignations conditionally during their sit-in. He, however, added that the draft of the new motion was still being discussed.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2015

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