While showing their loyalty to Tehreek-e-Labbaik, many PML-N parliamentarians of national and provincial assemblies from Vehari, Sargodha, Jhang and Khushab have submitted their resignations to Pir Hameed-ud-Din Sialvi.
Sialvi, the sajjadah nashin of the Astana-e-Aalia Sial Sharif, will now decide whether the lawmakers should resign or not, it is learnt.
The religious leader, accompanied by the MNAs and MPAs, made the announcement at a press conference at the Astana-e-Aliya Sial Sharif on Sunday.
The lawmakers present there included MNA Chaudhry Hamid Hameed from NA-66 Sargodha, MNA Sheikh Mohammad Akram from NA-89 Jhang, MNA Mehar Ghulam Mohammad Lali from NA-87 Jhang, MNA Dr Zulfikar Ali Bhatti from NA-67 Sargodha, MNA Bibi Bharwana from NA-87 Jhang, MPA Maulana Rehmat Ullah from PP-74 Jhang, MPA Malik Waris Kalo from PP-42 Khushab, MPA Mohammad Khan Baloch from PP-81-Jhang, MPA Nizamuddin Sialvi from PP-37 Sarghoda, MPA Abdul Razzaq Dhillon from PP-33 Sarghoda and MPA Rana Munawar Ghous from PP-36 Sarghoda.
However, Chaudhry Hamid Hameed and Dr Zulfikar Ali Bhatti later claimed that they had only visited Pir Hameed-ud-Din to ask him to convince Nizamuddin Sialvi to withdraw his resignation.
State Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Muhammad Aminul Hasnat Shah refuted reports of the resignations.
On Sunday, PML-N MNA Tahir Iqbal Chaudhry and MPA Nizamuddin Sialvi announced that they were stepping down in solidarity with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik.
Makhdoom Arshad Qamar Garwah, PML-N Mashaikh Wing president, also announced that he was parting ways with the party.
On Monday, a three-week-long sit-in of the religious group at a busy traffic interchange of the federal capital finally ended after the government acquiesced to its demands.
Hundreds of Tehreek-e-Labbaik supporters were camping at the Faizabad Interchange since November 6, calling for the resignation of Federal Law Minister Zahid Hamid who they blamed for a hastily-abandoned change in the oath of elected representatives.
“On the assurance of the chief of the army staff, we are calling off the sit-in,” Tehreek-e-Labbaik leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi told a crowd of around 2,500 supporters.
