ISLAMABAD: PTI lawmakers’ bid to return to the National Assembly was thwarted on Thursday when the deputy speaker abruptly prorogued the session.

The lawmakers had arrived at the assembly a day after the Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended the speaker’s decision to accept the resignation of 43 PTI lawmakers and the subsequent move by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to de-notify them.

Some of the reinstated lawmakers arrived to attend the session on Thursday, but were not allowed to enter the National Assembly hall.

With PTI members at the doorstep, house proceedings were held briefly before Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani prorogued the house sine die — a day ahead of schedule — after Jamaat-i-Islami’s Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali pointed out the lack of quorum.

Meanwhile, NA Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf said the assembly secretariat had not received a copy of the verdict.

In a video message, the speaker said he had not read the order and was unaware of its contents.

“I believe once we have the decision, we will read it … and consult our lawyers and experts and then decide the way forward,” the NA speaker added.

He also stated that the government was made a party in the case, but it didn’t receive any notice and learnt about it from TV reports.

Talking to reporters outside the NA secretariat, Senate’s Opposition Leader Shahzad Waseem said the speaker was bound to respect the court’s orders.

“The high court has clearly said that the speaker’s acceptance of resignations is illegal,” he asserted, adding that PTI lawmakers will enter the Parliament today.

“God willing, we will have our opposition leader,” Mr Waseem added.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2023