Acceptance of MNAs’ resignations: IHC asks PTI to remove objections to plea

The Islamabad High Court has given two days to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to remove the objections raised on its petition against National Assembly speaker and the ECP for “staging the drama” of accepting the resignations of only 11 party lawmakers when the entire party had resigned months ago, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

IHC Acting Chief Justice Amir Farooq was hearing the petition on Tuesday. The court registrar raised an objection that there was no authority letter attached with the petition. 

During hearing, the acting CJ said that resignations and their acceptance was an individual affair. First the petitioner should remove the objection as no one could deny that he is the petitioner once the petition is admitted for hearing, the judge remarked.

Lawyer Faisal Ch said that his party wanted by-elections on all 123 constituencies and not on just 11 constitutions. 

The judge advised the lawyer to first remove the objection then the court would hear his arguments. 

PTI leader Asad Umar on Monday filed a petition in the IHC stating that the present speaker of the NA had no “lawful authority or jurisdiction” to conduct the process of verification of the resignations of 123 PTI MNAs as they had already been accepted by then speaker Qasim Suri.

“Hence, the impugned act of the present speaker is unsustainable being illegal, unconstitutional, unwarranted, malafide, discriminatory, and politically motivated.”

It said that Ashraf was “bound to notify” the resignations “en bloc” to the ECP.

The petition said the ECP should be directed to “denotify all the 123 members at once and the same time instead of doing it in a piecemeal manner” and “issue the time schedule for the by-elections”.

Due to the delay in holding the polls, the petitioner as well as the constituents, were being deprived of their constitutional rights to participate in the governance of the country, the petition added.