NA speaker’s ruling on PTI MPs’ resignations wrong, contradictory, says Fazl

PESHAWAR: JUI-F chief Fazlur Rahman Friday said the ruling of the National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on the resignations of PTI lawmakers was wrong and contradictory and suggested that the same should be accepted without further waste of time.
He said this while talking to the media after addressing a grand jirga of North Waziristan’s Utmanzai tribe at the party’s central secretariat here.Referring to the PTI members of the National Assembly, Fazl said the government should take action against those who were sitting in Parliament despite tendering resignation.
He said Imran Khan had abused Parliament more than once and his entry to the National Assembly was unconstitutional.He recalled that in 2007 when they resigned from the National Assembly, the then speaker did not ask questions from them and accepted their resignations.
“Action should be taken against them first and then the government should think about the rigging probe,” he argued.He objected to the constitution of Judicial Commission (JC) to probe rigging in the 2013 general election and termed it contradictory to the Constitution.
“In the presence of Election Commission and election tribunals, the Judicial Commission is becoming a parallel institution,” the JUI-F chief said.He said the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) had also objected to the formation of the commission and termed it in conflict with the Constitution.
About the displacement issue, he said if the areas had been cleared of militants the tribal people from North Waziristan should be repatriated with honour. He questioned why the tribesmen were not being allowed to return to their homes.Fazl said it was beyond comprehension as to why people of North Waziristan were being punished for their love for Pakistan.
He said the tribesmen were innocent and loyal citizens of the country and they should be treated with grace and honour.He said the displaced people of North Waziristan were living a miserable life in adjoining districts after displacement.
“Despite assurance of the government, no practical step was taken to ease the miseries of the displaced people,” he added.He announced that soon his party would convene a grand jirga on the issue of displaced people of Fata.
He said Pakhtun leaders, including Asfandyar Wali Khan, Aftab Sherpao and Sirajul Haq, would also be invited to the jirga.He said the prime minister during his meeting with a representative jirga of tribal people had assured of raising the repatriation issue of tribal people with the military authorities. “We haven’t seen any progress in this regard,” he said.