Former PM Imran Khan, PTI lawmakers resign from NA

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers resigned from the national assembly ahead of the election for leader of the house on Monday.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Shehbaz Sharif was set to contest the election against PTI nominee Shah Mehmood Qureshi, however, now the PTI lawmakers would boycott the session.

The decision to resign from the assembly was taken at the party’s parliamentary meeting under the chairmanship of former premier Imran Khan on Monday. The party has decided to focus on public agitation against the incoming federal government.

Speaking to the reporters after the parliamentary meeting, the former prime minister Imran Khans said that there could no no more disrespect of the country than ‘electing or selecting a person for prime minister who is facing billions of rupees worth of graft cases. We are resigning from the assemblies’.

Read more: NA all set to elect 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan

National Assembly is all set to elect the new Prime Minister after ousting former Prime Minister Imran Khan through no-trust move against him in the wee hours of Sunday.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi filed their nomination papers for the top slot.

Read more: Imran Khan presides over crucial meeting of Parliamentary Party after ouster

The Leader of the House will be elected through voting that will take place in two lobbies of the NA reserved for the purpose. After the completion of the voting process, the counting will take place followed by the announcement of the name by the Speaker.

It should be noted that 172 votes are required to be elected as Leader of the House in the 342-member House.