The PTI legislators who submitted their resignations more than eight months ago continue to act like they never resigned, undermining the credibility of the party’s threat to quit the legislature.
By Ahmer Kureishi
ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party continues to reiterate its determination to pull out of the legislative houses of the country again and again, but public records show the vast majority of the PTI members of National Assembly (MNAs) who resigned more than eight months ago continue to enjoy their parliamentary perks and privileges as if they had never resigned.
It is common knowledge that none of the PTI MNAs has verified his or her resignation in person as required, putting a question mark on the sincerity of their intent to resign.
A less well-known fact is that at least four of them never submitted their resignations in the first place.
What is more, the 11 MNAs whose resignations the Speaker did accept in late July challenged his ruling in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), in effect vindicating the deft political move by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) of keeping the other MNAs’ resignations in limbo.
In addition, more than 100 PTI MNAs including 9 whose resignations were accepted, and 1 who was de-seated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a recount, continue to occupy official accommodations allotted to them as lawmakers in a clear indication of their intention not to quit.
The cherry on the top is that PTI-controlled governments of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) continue to provide official security detail entitled to an MNA to at least 40 MNAs who have submitted their resignations.
Prominent among them are some of the most vocal champions of quitting the assemblies: Ali Amin Gandapur guarded by 36 KP Police personnel; Malik Fakhar Zaman (whose resignation has been accepted) watched over by 15 KP Police; Murad Saeed protected by 14 KP Police; and Asad Qaisar guarded by 13 KP Police.
All these actions of PTI lawmakers give a loud and clear lie to the party’s noisy words about quitting the legislative houses.
The possibility of the Punjab Assembly being dissolved at Khan’s behest first emerged on April 4, when he still occupied the Prime Minister’s house, immediately after his unconstitutional bid to dissolve the National Assembly.
His bid eventually failed and he was ousted from power in a constitutionally sacrosanct vote of no-confidence a week later. That was when his party announced en bloc resignations of its MNAs. The option of quitting the provincial assemblies simultaneously also came up.
Ever since, quitting the assemblies has been a regular refrain for PTI’s hawks, but Khan’s party has never matched its words with actions.
Months of fire and fury culminated on November 17 in an announcement by Khan that the Punjab Assembly will be dissolved on December 23, allowing his opposition five days in which to defuse his threat.
The PDM did not disappoint. On the other hand, the former prime minister’s “success” in forcing PDM’s hand – his first success since his ouster from power – has allowed his opposition frustrate his stated flagship strategy.
This also puts to rest the matter of the dissolution of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly, because Khan has already predicated it on the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly.
In hindsight, quitting the assemblies immediately after his ouster in one fell swoop could have gone some way to put pressure on the government.
From that point on, the political value of any such move steadily declined until it likely became unavailable to him after how things have turned out in Punjab.
In any case, with dissolution of the country’s largest legislative house out of reach, Khan’s nuclear option seems much diminished – and Khan’s admission that dissolving the KP Assembly is unlikely to be much use means he knows it.
Monday’s meeting prattled Khan’s hackneyed talking points, including allegations he has retracted, and tall tales of the PTI government’s achievements that are not even funny anymore. The direst warning Khan’s party could muster was the tired and much-diminished threat of quitting the assemblies.
Ironically, the threat comes a couple of days after the National Assembly Secretariate notified PTI leadership that the Speaker plans to invite the party’s MNAs who submitted their resignations on April 11 to verify their resignations individually and in person.
The Speaker maintains the verification is mandatory under Paragraph (b) of Sub Rule (2) of Rule 43 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the NA, 2007.
The PTI tried to challenge the Speaker’s stance but the higher courts endorsed this position. The party, however, has stubbornly refused to go along with the process, effectively blocking the acceptance of the resignations on purpose.
On the other hand, it has equally stubbornly rebuffed any attempt to beckon it back to the National Assembly, including some by the country’s top judges.
This can only mean Khan and his party are flummoxed. They are neither prepared to embrace the diminished role in the country’s politics that has fallen to their lot since April, nor do they have any viable option to muster their former clout once again.
Under the circumstances, flogging the dead horse of quitting the assemblies in desperation is all the former ruling party can do, and it will continue to do it until the next general election.
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