JUI-F, MQM refuse to take back motions against PTI

ISLAMABAD: The JUI-F chief, Fazlur Rehman, on Thursday said his party wanted a middle way to settle the de-seating issue of PTI members and the Constitution could be of much help in this regard.
“It is not just a matter of de-seating; the PTI members have resigned their seats. We want a middle way within the ambit of the Constitution,” he said while talking to media persons outside the Parliament House.
Fazl made it clear that his party will not withdraw its motion on the de-seating issue of PTI lawmakers.“It is our stance that nothing ultra-constitutional should be done and no agreement should be executed against the Constitution,” he said, adding, “The PTI lawmakers had signed their resignations and they stand de-seated automatically.”
“Our stance is within the ambit of the Constitution and it is not based on emotions. Several precedents can be cited that the resignations of parliamentarians were accepted at the very time they resigned,” he said.
He underlined that the prime minister could not satisfy him on the issue during a meeting of the parliamentary group. Meanwhile, PTI’s central leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said people had mandated the PTI to play the role of the opposition and “we should be given a chance to play it”.
Talking to the media outside parliament, he said, “If we were not members of the assembly, why our salaries were sent to our accounts and why we were included in the budget session. The government should decide early about the de-seating issue so that we can hammer out our next strategy.
“The PTI and PML-N had reached an agreement on the Judicial Commission’s decision that if the decision came against the PTI’s stance, it will come into the NA and play its role. Therefore, the PTI wants to play its role in the NA,” he said.
“According to our information, all political parties participating in a meeting convened by the prime minister have said that the PTI should be allowed to play its role in the NA,” he said, adding, “Only the JUI-F and the MQM have opposed the PTI.”
Lashing out at the JUI-F and the MQM, Qureshi said both the parties were now talking about the Constitution which was invisible to them while sitting with a military dictator.“Why the Constitution remained out of sight for the JUI-F when it was helping to prolong the rule of Pervez Musharraf through the 17th Amendment,” he questioned.
“These two parties are doing so only for the sake of the opposition,” he said. Meanwhile, JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman and MQM chief Altaf Hussain on Thursday talked on phone and resolved not to withdraw their motions against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The MQM has formally informed the government about its decision.Fazl phoned Altaf and both the leaders exchanged views about the motions against the PTI. They decided that the motions are as per the law and Constitution and therefore the PTI lawmakers had no right to sit in parliament.Reportedly, MQM’s Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui informed Federal Minister for Information Pervaiz Rashid and Khawaja Saad Rafique about their decision.