LAHORE, April 20: PPP MPA from constituency PP-276, Bahawalpur, Dr Mohammad Afzal has resigned from his seat. He tendered his resignation personally when he called on Speaker Afzal Sahi in his chambers on Monday.

He gave no reasons in his written resignation which was signed and forwarded to the chief election commissioner by the speaker on Tuesday. When contacted, Mr Sahi said he had asked Dr Afzal during the meeting whether any complaint against him (the speaker) or any other official of the assembly was the cause of his resignation. But he replied in the negative and did not give any other reason for tendering resignation.

"Under the laws regulating the assembly business, I have no right to insist any MPA to explain why he was resigning from his seat," said the speaker when asked if he, as custodian of the house, had sought reasons from Dr Afzal for his resignation.

Replying to another question, he said he had no information that the MPA had quit his office under the government's or any other pressure. Dr Afzal, along with Bahawalpur district Nazim Tariq Bashir Cheema, had announced at a press conference around a couple of months ago that he would resign as Punjab Assembly member in protest against the attitude of the PPP top brass towards workers.

Opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly and PPP provincial president Qasim Zia, when contacted, said he welcomed the resignation and announced that the party, despite all odds, would contest byelection for the seat vacated by Mr Afzal.

He said the resignation, as expected, had been tendered because the MPA had no other way to join the ruling PML-Q after the constitutional clause that barred floor crossing made operative last year.

NOTIFICATION: Meanwhile, the Punjab Assembly Secretariat, through a notification issued on Tuesday, declared provincial constituency PP-276 (Bahawalpur-X) as vacant due to resignation of MPA Dr Muhammad Afzal.