NA speaker warns PTI MNAs against attending session

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has refused to accept the order of Lahore High Court regarding the restoration of PTI MNAs and said that the reinstated MNAs would not be allowed to enter or attend the session of lower house.

The NA sources said that the speaker was of the view that the resignations of these PTI lawmakers have been accepted and the LHC has not restored them but only suspended the schedule of by-elections in these constituencies.

They claimed that the court had not dismissed the NA speaker’s decision of acceptance of their resignations.

If any resigned PTI lawmakers tried to come to the National Assembly, they would be dealt as per law.

They asserted that the court has only suspended its Election Commission’s notification of the by-election, sources.

The LHC either did not suspend the decision of the speaker. The membership of the member was not restored.

The sources claimed that Tehreek-e-Insaf is interpreting the court decision according to its own will.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Lahore High Court suspended a decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the de-notification of around 30 more MNAs of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) from Punjab.

Issuing the interim order on petitions filed by Shafqat Mahmood and others, Justice Shahid Karim also suspended the process of by-elections in the petitioners’ constituencies.

On Feb 8, the judge had suspended another notification of the ECP regarding acceptance of resignations of 43 PTI MNAs.

However, Justice Karim did not touch on the decision of the National Assembly speaker.