Pakistan: 25 Tehreek-e-Insaf, SIC lawmakers yet to resign from NA committees despite Imran Khan's orders

Islamabad [Pakistan], September 7 (ANI): Despite clear directives from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, around 25 members of the PTI and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) have not yet stepped down from their positions on standing committees in Pakistan's National Assembly (NA), Geo News reported.

While 52 PTI and SIC lawmakers have already resigned, including five who submitted their resignations recently, several others remain active on committee assignments.

According to Geo News, citing parliamentary sources on Friday, members such as Sohail Sultan, Muhammad Nawaz Khan, Muhammad Atif, Sher Ali Arbab, Osama Ahmed Mela, Ghulam Muhammad, Muhammad Saadullah, Umar Farooq, Muhammad Mehboob Sultan, Khawaja Sheeraz, Ayesha Nazir, Mian Ghaus Muhammad, and Fayyaz Hussain are still serving on various panels.

Imran Khan had previously instructed all PTI Members of NAs to resign from their committee roles as part of the party's broader disengagement from parliamentary processes.

However, no formal action has yet been taken by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on the resignations submitted.

As per Geo News, citing sources, the government has asked the Speaker to delay accepting certain resignations. As long as these resignations remain unapproved, the members officially retain their committee posts.

"As long as their resignations are not formally accepted, they continue to remain members of their respective House standing committees," sources stated, as quoted by Geo News.

Amid the confusion, PTI has announced it will boycott National Assembly sessions entirely.

Responding to the situation, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram clarified that the reported list of 25 non-resigning members is inaccurate.

"The list of 25 lawmakers is wrong, as 8 to 10 members are out of the country, some have gone for Umrah, a few are unwell, and there is also information that around eight more tendered resignations today," he said, as quoted by Geo News.

Earlier in August, PTI announced that it will boycott the upcoming by-elections across the country and withdraw from all parliamentary committees, citing an uneven political playing field, The Express Tribune reported.

The decisions were taken during a meeting of PTI's political committee, which unanimously endorsed the boycott and instructed party lawmakers in the National Assembly to resign from their committee memberships, in line with directions from the party's founder and former Prime Minister, Imran Khan.

According to party sources, the meeting aimed to define PTI's electoral strategy following a series of recent disqualifications that have created vacancies in national and provincial assemblies. Lawmakers were invited to share their views on whether the party should contest the by-elections, The Express Tribune reported. (ANI)

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