The PTI’s appearance in the National Assembly (PTI) was only a mock exercise as majority of the PTI MNAs came to the assembly on the assurance of Shah Mehmood Qureshi that they would not appear before the speaker to confirm their resignations.
Up to 15 MNAs, including three from the Punjab, refused to resign and boycotted the party meeting held on Tuesday, The News has learnt. A well-placed source in the PTI informed The News that sooner or later the party members have to resign from the assembly; however, till the third week of November they would not resign at all.
“The PTI party meeting was held on Tuesday to finalise the strategy on confirmation of their resignations. However, the leadership has to face real tough time from the majority of MNAs from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and they left the meeting. Even three MNAs from the Punjab also refused to resign from the assembly after which the party’s vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi gave them an assurance that they would not appear before the speaker,” said the source who was present in the meeting.
He said majority of the MNAs once again raised their voice during the party meeting and refused to resign from the National Assembly until the PTI quit the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly as they have to face the people who gave them the mandate. Upon this, Shah Mehmood Qureshi assured them that the party leadership would take a decision by November 30, said the source. The source further confirmed that disgruntled MNAs then assured the party leadership that they too would postpone their resignations till the last week of November.
“The PTI now is entirely banking on its November 30th rally in Islamabad and if it succeeded to grab the maximum attention and held a mammoth gathering, then it could opt for the resignations,” said the source.
The source further said that almost 15 MNAs left the meeting and were leaving for their native towns when Shah Mehmood Qureshi assured them that they would not resign from the assembly on Wednesday as they would not appear before the speaker.
The same was conveyed to the ruling party as well as the speaker which is why instead of appearing before the speaker the PTI MNAs directly went to the deputy speaker’s chamber.
“If the PTI was sincere and ready to resign from the National Assembly, then why did they wait in the deputy speaker’s chamber? If the speaker was not giving them time to meet, then they should have repeated Makhdoom Javed Hashmi’s example and announced their resignations on the floor of the house,” said the source.
When contacted, PTI spokesperson Dr Shireen Mazari said none of the PTI MNAs had refused to resign from the assembly as 25 MNAs were present in the assembly. She said the PTI had taken the decision in principle that they had already resigned from the assembly and confirmed it in front of deputy speaker as well and now they would not appear before the speaker.
When asked whether 15 MNAs in the party, including three MNAs from the Punjab, refused to resign from the assembly on the party’s direction, Dr Mazari said this was not true as everyone had seen that 25 MNAs were present in the National Assembly with the party’s vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
To a question as to whether Shah Mehmood Qureshi gave them any assurance that their resignations would not be accepted as they would not appear before the speaker, she said Shah Mehmood Qureshi had given no such assurance to any party member.
When asked whether the party leadership had to face a tough time during Tuesday’s meeting as there was a heated debate in the meeting on the resignation issue, she said the debate was on the by-elections and nothing else.
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