PTI seeks time from NA speaker for verification of resignations

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will request National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf to give time for the verification of its lawmakers' resignations, the party's Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said on Thursday.

Taking to Twitter, Fawad said that the party is writing a letter to Ashraf to seek a time when the MPs can visit the NA for the verification process.

"A letter is being written to the speaker and he is being asked to provide a time when members of the assembly can come for the verification of resignations once again,” he wrote

Fawad said that his party is seeking time for the verification of resignations so new polls can be held on the vacated seats.

The former information minister said that in the Supreme Court it was remarked that PTI MNAs were not coming to the assembly but taking their salaries.

“Judges should verify the reports that come on the media. The reality is that this is another lie of the government. The salaries of the resigned members are suspended and no member is getting any salary,” said Fawad.

Fawad's tweet comes after Supreme Court's Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, while hearing PTI plea on NAB amendments, observed that although the PTI lawmakers were not going to the National Assembly, they were receiving their salaries.

He had also observed that the Islamabad High Court had asked the PTI legislators to appear before the NA speaker.

'PTI MPs convey messages not to accept resignations'

Last week, NA Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf shared that PTI lawmakers convey messages to him to not accept their resignations.

Speaking to the media persons after visiting Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Hasan Murtaza residence, Ashraf said that such a situation requires a lot of thought process, adding that he will not accept the resignations until he is satisfied.

"There is a process to accept resignations with some rules and regulations," he said. "If a lawmaker gives a statement regarding his resignation and I get to know that he has done it under pressure then I will not accept it."

The PTI lawmakers had tendered their resignations en masse after the Imran Khan government was ousted through a no-confidence motion back in April.

The PTI has claimed resignations were accepted by former deputy speaker Qasim Suri, who was the chair after Asad Qaiser's resignation.

However, once Raja Pervez Ashraf was elected as the speaker, he decided to verify the resignations by interviewing lawmakers individually.

Later, the resignations of PTI members were de-sealed and Raja accepted only 11 of them.