MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly Speaker Sardar Ghulam Sadiq on Friday received the resignation of Barrister Sultan Mahmood , but it could not be notified due to a legal hitch, officials said.

The handwritten resignation was delivered to the speaker in his chamber by Khawaja Atif Bashir, a media adviser of Mr Mahmood, who was elected from LA 3, Mirpur-III in July 2011 elections as a nominee of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

The former AJK premier joined Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday in the presence of the party chairman, Imran Khan and other leaders at a big gathering in Islamabad.

LA secretary Chaudhry Basharat Hussain told Dawn that Mr Mahmood also made a phone call to the sSpeaker to verify that the resignation was written by him. 

However, since the legal provisions warranted for personal appearance of the legislators intending to resign from their seats, Mr Mahmood was asked to appear before the speaker or secretary for the purpose, he added.

Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, a close aide of Mr Mahmood, told Dawn that the former premier would see the Speaker at 10am on Monday to fulfil the requirement.

“The government wants to delay the acceptance of the resignation as it is afraid of holding by-election in Mirpur,” he alleged, adding, “But we will not give it any chance to escape from the test of its popularity in the by-election.”

Published in Dawn February 7th , 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play