LHC declares the resignations of 72 PTI MNAs as “invalid.”
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) declared the acceptance of resignations by 72 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members of the National Assembly as “null and void.” This includes prominent figures like Fawad Chaudhry, Hammad Azhar, and Shah Mehmood Qureshi. The petition against the acceptance of resignations was filed by former MNA Riaz Fatyana and heard by Justice Shahid Karim of the LHC. During the hearing, Justice Karim ruled that the acceptance of resignations by NA Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was invalid.
Previously, a court had directed the 72 members to appear before the NA speaker to withdraw their resignations, and the NA speaker was instructed to make a decision after hearing all the members again. The notifications of accepting the resignations of Shafqat Mahmood and Fatyana were also deemed null and void. PTI lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar hailed the court’s decision as historic and believed it would resolve the country’s political crisis. He stated that the petition against the de-notification of PTI MNAs had been accepted, and they would now appear before the speaker and retract their resignations. Once the ECP’s de-notification was reversed, these MNAs could rejoin the National Assembly. Zafar expressed hope that the speaker would conduct the inquiry according to the law and allow the PTI MNAs to return.
Riaz Fatyana, the former MNA, viewed the court’s decision as a positive step towards the constitution and democracy. He emphasized the importance of opposition in a democracy and believed that PTI’s return to Parliament would restore “real democracy” in the country. Fatyana expressed confidence in Raja Pervez Ashraf, stating that as the custodian of the entire House, he did not represent any party.
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The resignations of the PTI MNAs came after the PTI-led government was ousted through a no-confidence motion in April of the previous year. The PTI had claimed that the resignations were accepted by former deputy speaker Qasim Suri in the absence of a speaker after Asad Qaiser’s resignation. Speaker Ashraf, upon his election, approved the resignations of 11 PTI lawmakers in July 2022. However, he stalled the process, stating that the remaining lawmakers would be individually summoned for verification. In January, when PTI announced its return to the assembly to “test” the PM through a confidence vote, Ashraf expedited the process. The PTI resignations were accepted by the NA speaker in four stages, with several PTI lawmakers challenging the decision in the LHC. The high court not only suspended the ECP notification but also halted the by-elections on 43 constituencies until further notice.