Resignations accepted in accordance with Article 64 of Constitution.
Summary sent to ECP to de-notify PTI lawmakers.
Seventy PTI resignations have been accepted this week.
ISLAMABAD: The political uncertainty continues in Pakistan after the National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz on Friday accepted the resignations of 35 more Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs.
The PTI had resigned from the lower house of parliament after the ouster of PTI chief Imran Khan in April 2022.
According to a press release issued by the National Assembly Secretariat, the resignations were accepted in accordance with clause (1) of Article 64 of the Constitution and rules of procedure and conduct of Business in the NA.
“In accordance with clause (1) of Article 64 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, read with Rule 43 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly of Pakistan 2007, the Hon’ble Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan has been pleased to accept the resignations of the following Members of the National Assembly with effect from April 11, 2022, the date when the letter of respective resignations was submitted,” said the statement.
The resignations had been accepted with effect from 11 April 2022, the date when the letters of respective resignations were submitted, said Radio Pakistan.
Following the approval of the resignations, the summary was sent to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to de-notify the PTI lawmakers.
Here’s the list of PTI lawmakers whose resignations have been accepted:
S.No
Name
Constituency
01
Dr Haider Ali Khan
NA-2
02
Saleem Rehman
NA-3
03
Sahibzada Sibghatullah
NA-5
04
Mehboob Shah
NA-6
05
Muhammad Bashir Khan
NA-7
06
Junaid Akbar
NA-8
07
Sher Akbar Khan
NA-9
08
Ali Khan Jadoon
NA-16
09
Engr Usman Khan Tarakai
NA-19
10
Mujahid Ali
NA-20
11
Arbab Amir Ayub
NA-28
12
Sher Ali Arbab
NA-30
13
Shahid Ahmed
NA-34
14
Gul Dad Khan
NA-40
15
Sajid Khan
NA-42
16
Mohammad Iqbal Khan
NA-44
17
Aamer Mehmood Kiani
NA-61
18
Syed Faiz ul Hassan
NA-70
19
Chaudhry Shoukat Ali Bhatti
NA-87
20
Umar Aslam Khan
NA-93
21
Amjad Ali Khan
NA-96
22
Khurram Shahzad
NA-107
23
Faizullah
NA-109
24
Malik Karamat Ali Khokhar
NA-135
25
Syed Fakhar Imam
NA-150
26
Zahoor Hussain Qureshi
NA-152
27
Ibraheem Khan
NA-158
28
Tahir Iqbal
NA-164
29
Aurangzeb Khan Khichi
NA-165
30
Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar
NA-177
31
Abdul Majeed Khan
NA-187
32
Andaleeb Abbas
Reserved seat
33
Asma Qadeer
Reserved seat
34
Maleeka Ali Bokhari
Reserved seat
35
Munawara Bibi Baloch
Reserved seat
Earlier, Ashraf had stalled the process of accepting resignations after July 28 stating the remaining lawmakers would be summoned individually for verification.
However, contrary to his claims he quickened the process by accepting the resignations of 34 PTI MNAs and Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid earlier this week after an eight-month hiatus.
Soon after the PTI announced its return to the assembly and test the PM through a no-trust move, the government so far accepted 70 PTI resignations during the current week only.
Around 131 MNAs of the PTI had tendered their resignations en masse after Imran Khan’s government was ousted through a no-confidence motion in April last year.
By July 28, 2022, the NA speaker had accepted the resignations of only 11 PTI lawmakers.
PTI calls govt’s move ‘illegal and immoral’
Speaking to the media outside the Parliament House, senior PTI leaders said the speaker retracted from his old stance by accepting the resignations of 35 more PTI lawmakers today.
Asad Qaiser, Asad Umar, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry and others termed the government’s move “illegal and immoral”.
Former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser condemned the decision and revealed that Ashraf had called the PTI leaders to the assembly and told them that the resignations would not be accepted unless he had a word with the MNAs himself separately.
“Were those whose resignations were accepted called by the Speaker?”Qaiser asked.
Berating the speaker’s decision, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said now that 81 resignations were accepted, the government must also give a date for the general elections.
Expressing his displeasure over the decision, the PTI leader blamed Islamabad for the political and economic crises in the country.
“We are heading towards a Sri Lanka-like situation,” Chaudhry claimed.
PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the speaker first said that he cannot accept the resignations collectively.
“We decided to come to the meeting and he [the speaker] postponed it and when we came to the assembly, he accepted the resignations of 35 more MNAs,” said Qureshi, demanding that the rest of the resignations should also be accepted.
The party’s vice chairman said that the PTI wants snap polls so that the people can decide for themselves.
PPP chief Bilawal calls for burying politics of hatred, division.
Says wants to introduce new style of politics to end rivalries.
Zardari not afraid of “forces”, wants son Bilawal to become PM.
Following reports of differences between the top Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders, party chairman Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari has called for “burying” politics of hatred and division in line with the vision of his father Asif Ali Zardari’s reconciliatory politics.
“We have to do politics wherein we should think about unity and not of division. The PPP wants to start a new kind of politics in the country,” Bilawal said while addressing a public rally held to mark the PPP’s 56th foundation day in Quetta.
Bilawal said his party wanted to promote a style of politics under which there is no rival party of the PPP.
“PPP is fighting against inflation and poverty due to which people are suffering. The old style of politics is based on hatred, division, and revenge. The country’s youth needs to bury such politics,” the PPP chief added.
The PPP chief apparently lowered his rhetoric against his rivals in his first public interaction since his father Asif Ali Zardari’s interview wherein the top PPP leader termed his son “inexperienced” while expressing displeasure over his tirade against the elder politicians.
The interview broadcast on Geo News last week triggered speculations that there were cracks among the top PPP leadership.
However, the party quickly rejected the rumours, and Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, the daughter of PPP Co-chairman Zardari, put to rest the speculation asking people to not pay heed to the headlines
She also shared an image with her family — including Zardari, Bilawal, and aunt Faryal Talpur. All of them seemed in a happy mood.
In the same gathering, Bilawal also fired a broadside at his political rivals saying that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is now known as the “mehangai [inflation] league” in the country.
“People know that they are showbaz [showmen] of politics,” the PPP chief added.
Bilawal said Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the PML-N wanted to roll back the provincial autonomy granted under the 18th Amendment.
“They want to occupy the resources of the provinces..PPP will not let this conspiracy to succeed.”
‘Jiyala next PM’
Bilawal also announced giving a surprise to the entire in the February 8, 2024 general elections saying the jiyala [PPP worker] will become the country’s new prime minister.
Addressing the gathering, Zardari called for the support of his son to make him the country’s youngest prime minister.
“We have to teach Bilawal what we know […] we have to train him to make him a leader of the youth.”
The former president also said that some forces are always at play to pull the legs of a leader who wants to take the country forward.
“We are not afraid of such forces. We trust our people.”
PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar to meet Kuwaiti crown prince today.
Both army chief and PM are in Kuwait on official visit.
PM Office says multiple MoUs expected to be signed during visit.
Army chief General Asim Munir on Tuesday met Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as part of his official visit to the gulf country, reported Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
The meeting was also attended by Caretaker Law Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam, Pakistan Ambassador to Kuwait Malik Mohammad Farooq and other members of the delegation.
Meanwhile, PM Kakar has also arrived in Kuwait City after concluding the UAE visit and is expected to meet the crown prince today, the PM Office said on Wednesday.
The premier will also meet his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
The PM office said that a number of memorandum of understanding (MoUs) will be signed for mutual cooperation in various sectors including manpower, information technology, minerals and mining, food security, energy and defence.
In UAE, Pakistan signed several MoUs worth multi-billion dollars in a range of areas on Monday to boost economic and strategic cooperation between the two countries, PM Kakar said.
The prime minister said with the signing of the MoUs, the bilateral economic and strategic relations had entered into a new era of bilateral cooperation.
Congratulating the people of Pakistan and the UAE, he said the foundation of friendship with Pakistan which was laid by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in the 1970s, had been taken forward by his son Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to a new era.
PM Kakar expressed the hope that the MoUs that were signed by the two countries would turn into tangible projects very soon.
LONDON: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zulfi Bukhari has kickstarted a mass mobilisation and fundraising campaign for the party in the United Kingdom and Europe.
Addressing a workers’ convention in High Wycombe in London along with Sahibzada Jahangir, one of the founders of PTI, Zulfi said that the mass mobilisation and fundraising has been started for the elections scheduled for February next year.
“We will take part in elections at any cost. We need funds and effort from the overseas regions. The party needs funds for its legal challenges as well for the election campaign,” he said.
Zulfi said the entire leadership is prepared for the elections and will not be deterred by the arrest threats.
The former cabinet member said he will be going to Pakistan himself as soon as the party leadership directs him, adding that he was prepared to go to jail.
However, it is unlikely that Zulfi will be travelling to Pakistan anytime soon as the caretaker govt has requested Interpol for his arrest. He was in Dubai when the Interpol request was made, he left UAE and since then has not travelled outside London.
Zulfi said he will be personally visiting cities in the United Kingdom and Europe to raise funds.
The PTI leader revealed that the campaign in the UK is scheduled to start shortly and arrangements are in place. He said the PTI Core Committee was meeting daily to discuss affairs of the party to formulate strategies on a daily basis.
Zulfi Bukhari has so far stayed away from PTI UK events but his decision to take part in mobilisation suggests he has been asked by the leadership in Pakistan to engage with the local chapter.
Two weeks ago, he told an audience at the University of London that making Usman Buzdar Punjab’s chief minister was a mistake but Imran Khan did the right thing by not sacking him.
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