Members of the National Assembly would witness some of their colleagues saying good-bye to parliament as “defectors”, including Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, are going to announce their resignation on the floor of the House for leaving their parent parties for the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).
The House meets today (Thursday) at the Parliament House.
Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, his daughter Mamoona Hashmi, former federal minister Awais Leghari and Sardar Assef Ahmad Ali are likely to announce their resignation from their NA seats today, as they have already joined the PTI.
Though their former party chiefs have not moved any references on defection grounds, the parliamentarians are likely to announce their resignations purely on moral grounds. A source close to Hashmi said he would rise on a point of order in the House and announce his resignation from the NA.
Likewise, his daughter, Mamoona Hashmi and other MNAs who recently joined the PTI would announce their resignations.
Some of the parliamentarians, including Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Khawaja Khan Hoti and Jehangir Tareen have already submitted their resignations, but these are pending with the NA speaker.
Asked about the reason behind the delay in the acceptance of resignations of these parliamentarians, a source in the Parliament House told Pakistan Today that the resignations were pending with the NA speaker because the federal government had started development work in the constituencies of resigning MPs to ensure the success of their party’s candidates in by-polls.
“As soon as the speaker accepts the resignation, the Election Commission would announce a schedule for by-elections and the government will not be able to execute development projects in these constituencies,” he added.