Resignations of 43 more PTI MNAs approved

Resignations of 43 more PTI MNAs have been approved by the National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf, it emerges on Tuesday.

Following the development, it emerges that only dissident PTI lawmakers remain in the National Assembly now. 

According to the NA officials, Raja Ashraf has accepted further resignations and forwarded them to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

However, there is no official confirmation on the matter.

On the other hand, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry pointed out that 40 percent of seats in the NA were now empty. “The only solution to this crisis is elections,” he said.

Reacting to the development, Chauhdry said the main reason to return to the National Assembly was to remove Raja Riaz as the opposition leader otherwise the legislature had “no importance”.

“Right now, Shehbaz Sharif has lost the support of 172 members and is relying on lotas (turncoats) to save his government,” Fawad Chaudhry

Today’s development comes a day after 45 PTI MNAs sent their handwritten withdrawals to the speaker via email and demanded the nomination of a new opposition leader from among them.

On Monday, PTI lawmakers had requested the ECP that they should not be denotified if Speaker Raja Ashraf approves their resignations.

The PTI made the request after it informed the electoral body that their MNAs were withdrawing their resignations and the NA speaker had also been informed about it.

The PTI members also met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and informed him about their decision to return to the National Assembly after nine months.