Imran Khan calls out Qureshi, Khattak for skipping NA speaker meeting

• Sources say both leaders summoned for not joining delegation sent to meet NA speaker. 
•  Qureshi, Khattak excused themselves from attending meeting at last minute.
• In their absence, former speaker Asad Qaiser led the delegation.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has summoned senior party leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Pervez Khattak for skipping the meeting with National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf regarding the verification of their resignations, sources told Geo News on Thursday.

Khattak and Qureshi were part of the delegation sent by PTI to meet the NA speaker today. However, sources within the party shared that both leaders excused themselves from attending the meeting at the last minute.

In their absence, former speaker Asad Qaiser led the delegation in the meeting.

Now both the leaders will meet the PTI chairman at his Lahore residence in Zaman Park to explain their position on the matter.

NA speaker to meet PTI MNAs one by one

Earlier today, NA Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf informed the PTI delegation led by Asad Qaiser that for the verification of the resignation, the party’s lawmakers will be called in for a meeting individually.

The delegation met the speaker in his chamber to discuss their resignation verification issue amid talks of the party's return to the assembly.

The delegation included former speaker Asad Qaiser, Qasim Suri, Amir Dogar, Dr Shabbir Hussain, Ataullah, Fahim Khan, and Tahir Iqbal.

Earlier, Dogar contacted the NA speaker, requesting him to meet the PTI delegation.

However, on Wednesday, the NA speaker said the PTI delegation did not show up for the meeting and asked for a meeting Thursday at 11:30am.

"Dogar told me that some of the PTI leaders wanted to see me regarding their resignations; however, I told him I will meet all of them separately and not in groups," added Ashraf.

On the same day, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said they were willing to play a role in Parliament, but the government was not ready to commit seriously.

The PTI leader made the remarks while reacting to Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's statement against PTI chief Imran Khan.

Bilawal, addressing a gathering in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, held to mark the 15th death anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, asked the PTI chief to return to parliament.

The PTI lawmakers had resigned en masse after PTI Chairman Imran Khan was voted out of the prime minister's office in April and were yet to return to the house.