PTI member says resignations were tendered on directives of PTI chief
Alleges that Sindh Assembly is ruled by political mafia
Four Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed members of Sindh Assembly submitted their resignations in the provincial assembly which PTI’s Samar Ali Khan alleged is being ruled by a “political mafia”.
Speaking to reporters, PTI’s Samar said, “Last night I received a phone call from PTI Chairman Imran Khan who directed me to tender the resignations.”
The 168-member Sindh Assembly is dominated by lawmakers belonging to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its coalition partner Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).
The move is likely to fall heavily on PPP and MQM leaderships which, besides supporting Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s democratic rule, are also showing a soft corner for PTI by seconding some of its demands on electoral reforms.
MQM also collaborated with PTI’s strike call for Sunday by announcing to observe a “day of mourning” on the same day to protest violence against protesters in Islamabad’s Red Zone.
Earlier, PTI’s Samar Ali Khan (PS-113), Khurram Sher Zaman (PS-112), Dr Seema Zia (Reserved Seats for Women-159) and Syed Hafeezuddin (PS-93) handed their handwritten resignations to Sindh Assembly Secretary Ghulam Umer Farooq.
Talking to reporters, Samar said his party believes the present assemblies are being ruled by a “political mafia” violating the people’s right to representation. “We condemn this mafia,” he said.
When asked about credibility of the elections conducted by ECP in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) where PTI won a majority, Samar put the ball in ECP’s court, saying that if the commission “proves rigging in KP we would act on the decision.”
“The system is not based on merit,” Samar said.
Speaking to Pakistan Today, Samar said that his party would “condemn and reject” poll results arising after rigging.
The PTI-backed legislators waited in the secretary’s office till the latter furnished official receipts of the resignations.
For reasons best known to the PTI members, the resignations were dated August 19.
Assembly officials, however, told Pakistan Today that they would evaluate resignations from the date of submission.
THE MPA WHO IS NOT A MPA:
Meanwhile, Sindh Assembly Secretary Farooq confirmed the receipt of resignations but cast doubt over the admissibility of Hafeezuddin’s resignation.
“Per Assembly record Hafeezuddin is not an MPA,” he said.
He said that Hafeezuddin was not enlisted as an MPA in the Secretariat’s record since August 8 when Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) notified Jamat-e-Islami (JI)’s Abdur Razzak as a replacement for the PTI-backed lawmaker.
Razzak, a runner-up in 2013 general elections, had challenged Hafeezuddin’s election from PS-93 in the one-member Karachi election tribunal Karachi that had decreed in favor of the JI candidate.
“ECP has not notified us on the restoration of Hafeezuddin (as an MPA),” Farooq said, adding that Razzak would take oath as MPA “if we do not receive a notification from ECP until the next session.”
The other three resignations, he said, would be processed as per the assembly’s Rules of Procedures to be forwarded to Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani who would then decide whether or not to accept the same. Sources said that the speaker will decide what step should be taken next after consulting legal experts.
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