PTI, PML-Q to resign from assemblies, says Fawad

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to withdraw its lawmakers from the assemblies and launch a movement against the upcoming government, which is likely to be headed by PML-N’s Shehbaz Sharif, PTI’s Fawad Chaudhy told reporter on Sunday after a party meeting.

Fawad, later, told SAMAA TV that Pervaiz Elahi is also of the view that PML-Q, too, should resign from the assemblies.

He says in the first phase the PTI will resign from the National Assembly on Monday.

The PTI held a meeting at Imran Khan’s Banigala residence on Sunday, almost 12 hours after Imran Khan was voted out as the prime minister of Pakistan in a no-confidence move.

In a news briefing after the meeting, Fawad Chaudhry said that PTI MNAs will submit en masse resignations to the National Assembly and the party will launch a movement against the upcoming government.

“The core committee has recommended to Imran Khan that we should resign from the assemblies. We are starting from the National Assembly. If our objections against Shehbaz Sharif’s nomination papers are not [entertained], we will submit the resignations tomorrow. Tonight, the parliamentary committee meeting has been called at Banigala. Most of the parliamentary party members have already handed over their resignations to the prime minister. In the next, phase we will ask them to submit more resignations,” said Fawad Chaudhry.

PTI’s Babar Awan has raised objections over Shehbaz Sharif’s nomination papers. On the other hand, the PTI has nominated Shah Mahmood Qureshi as its candidate for the prime minister slot, Fawad confirmed to reporters at the briefing.

Fawad Chaudhry said that PTI believes that the way Imran Khan was removed from power amounted to a slap on the face of people in Pakistan and everyone rejected it. “The entire nation at the moment is seeking guidance from Imran Khan. The entire nation expects Imran Khan to take to the streets against this foreign conspiracy and launch a struggle. We believe that if we disappointed the nation at this juncture and Imran Khan did not lead the movement, it would amount to betrayal of Pakistan’s constitution.”

He said that the PTI rejects the “illegal” government to be formed after Imran’s removal. “People of the entire country must join the PTI in this big movement after Isha prayer tonight,” he said adding that the party would announce a “comprehensive” agitation plan and within a few weeks the country will be led to fresh general elections.

There is no other solution to this crisis but to hold fresh elections, he said.

“Whoever collaborated to create this crisis, have shown enmity to the state of Pakistan.”

Fawad attacked the Supreme Court of Pakistan, blaming it for compounding the crisis by its judgement against the PTI deputy speaker’s ruling to disallow the no-confidence motion.

He criticized the judiciary for opening the courtrooms at midnight.

The former information minister said that until the upcoming government was not “thrown out” of Islamabad, “no institution of Pakistan will have any sanctity.”

He said PTI will hold demonstrations across all districts.

Farrukh Habib, who was state minister for information under Khan, said that the PTI core committee had paid tribute to Imran Khan for fighting until the end.

He said unlike the opposition leaders, Imran Khan did not face corruption cases.

Habib, too, attacked the judiciary and questioned whether cases against the opposition leaders will also be heard at midnight.

He said Imran Khan will launch a protest movement from Peshawar in a few days.

Earlier, Awami League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, who attended the PTI core committee meeting, said he would issue his statement from his Lal Haveli residence Sunday evening.

Rasheed had earlier said that he would participate in the PTI protest from the balcony of Lal Haveli.