KARACHI: A petition was filed on Saturday in the Supreme Court seeking court’s order to the respondent authorities for accepting the resignations of the lawmakers belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

The petition was filed by Advocate Maulvi Iqbal Haider, who impleaded the PTI amd MQM lawmakers, federal law secretary, Senate chairman, National Assembly speaker and Sindh Assembly speaker as respondents.

The petitioner said the seats of MQM legislators had become vacant and the Election Commission of Pakistan was bound to announce the schedule for by-elections on the vacant seats of the Senate, National Assembly and the Sindh Assembly.

However, he said, that the speakers of the National and Sindh assemblies and Senate chairman instead of accepting the resignations of the MQM lawmakers were not unseating them.

The petitioner said the PTI legislators totally boycotted the National Assembly sessions without leave of the house and remained absent for more than 40 consecutive days.

He said the NA speaker was bound to notify the vacant seats of the house in terms of Article 64 of the Constitution.

He asked the court to declare that the respondents speakers of the assemblies and Senate chairman were bound to declare the seats of the parliamentarians had become vacant.

The petitioner prayed to the court to declare that the federal government had no right to negotiate with the MQM legislators to bring them round to withdraw their resignations.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2015

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