IHC decision allowing PTI MNA to attend session to be contested

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) speaker will contest permission granted to PTI MNA from Karachi Abdul Shakoor Shad, who had tendered his resignation, to return to the House by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The NA speaker will submit in the IHC details pertaining to the acceptance of Shad’s resignation in his comments within two weeks.

The NA Secretariat sources told The News here Friday that NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf tried to contact the MNA soon after receiving his resignation and subsequently MNA’s official signatures were checked with those affirmed on the letter of resignation.

It transpired that both matched. The resignation was accepted and referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to issue a notification declaring the seat vacant. The commission issued the notification and initiated the process of by-election on the seat.

The sources reminded that the MNA didn’t turn up for endorsing or denying his resignation. He was among the members who raised slogans on April 11, when the vote of no-confidence against Imran Khan was passed by the National Assembly. He was beside the members who openly raised slogans for quitting the House membership.

The sources reminded that the MNA did not attend the NA session even for one day after filing his resignation. The impression given by him that he attended the House in July could not be verified.

The sources said that as a consequence of the court orders, the status quo has been restored and like other members, he would be able to attend the proceedings of the House unless the court overturns the orders passed by it a day earlier.

In an interesting development, the sources pointed out that the MNA has practically accepted vacation of his seat since he has filed his nomination papers for the by-elections of September 25, of which polling has been deferred by the ECP due to flood situation. His nomination papers were accepted as he was a covering candidate for his party chief Imran Khan, who is the PTI’s candidate for the NA-246 of Karachi.

Abdul Shakoor Shad was declared as returned candidate from the same constituency where he contested against PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the 2018 polls. The sources said that the speaker would submit his comments about the petition of Shad before September 22 in the IHC. The sources said if the contention of Shakoor Shad is accepted by the court, it will have an impact on all 11 members of the NA, including two women reserved seats where the seats were termed vacant. Accordingly, the ECP is holding by-polls on all nine seats while the decision on two reserved seats will also be reversed, the sources added.