ISLAMABAD: The office of National Assembly (NA) speaker Friday claimed that detail verdict of the Lahore High Court vindicated Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf with regard to the acceptance of PTI lawmakers’ resignations.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had de-notified 124 (PTI and AML) MNAs after the NA speaker accepted their resignations. However, the acceptance of the latter 43 MNAs was challenged in the LHC.
پی ٹی آئی ارکان کے استعفوں کے معاملے پر اسپیکر قومی اسمبلی کا موقف درست ثابت ہوا۔
اسپیکر آفس کے مطابق تمام معاملات کو آئینی و قانونی لحاظ سے دیکھ کر فیصلہ کیا گیا۔ اسپیکر نے استعفوں کے معاملے پر انتہائی تحمل کیساتھ نہ صرف غور کیا بلکہ بارہا پی ٹی آئی ارکان کو طلب کیا گیا۔۔۔ pic.twitter.com/hUUbdrdBuu
— National Assembly of 🇵🇰 (@NAofPakistan) February 10, 2023
Riaz Fatyana and 42 other MNAs of the PTI had filed a petition in the LHC against the NA speaker’s acceptance of their resignations and the ECP’s de-notification orders. On Wednesday, media reports said the LHC suspended Ashraf’s acceptance of the resignations of 43 PTI lawmakers and put by-elections in these constituencies on hold.
However, the detailed LHC verdict released on Friday stated that “the notification of the NA speaker on January 22 has not been attached (though challenged) and thus no interim relief can be considered to that extent.”
It added that the notification of the “Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) remained suspended and the election schedule for the seats shall not be announced by the ECP”.
“The process of by-elections to these shall remain suspended,” the verdict read.
The statement released by the speaker’s office today said Ashraf’s stance was “proved right”, adding that “all matters were decided by looking at the constitutional and legal aspects”.
It further said the NA speaker not only considered the issue of resignations with great restraint but PTI members were also repeatedly summoned.
“Despite repeated summons, PTI members did not come and kept demanding acceptance of resignations,” the statement added. “Objections were raised after the NA speaker accepted the resignations, which was unconstitutional.”
