NA Speaker bound to get confirmation about resignations: Pervaiz Rashid

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid on Wednesday said that according to the Supreme Court’s verdict the Speaker National Assembly has the right and duty to get satisfaction about genuineness and validity of resignations tendered by any member of the House.

Talking to a private TV channel he said that it was the duty of the Speaker to accept the resignation of any member after ascertaining whether the resignation was given without any pressure.

He said Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf has submitted the resignations of its members in an envelope to the Speaker’s office at a time when he was not present in his office.

“How can the Speaker believe that resignations were submitted by the members according to their own will as they attended the Assembly session after tendering their resignations,” he said.

He said Shah Mehmood Qureshi spoke in the House but did not say anything about resignations, adding that like Javed Hashmi he (Qureshi) should have explained his position with regard to the resignations.

“Had he clarified his position in the Assembly the Speaker would have accepted the resignations,” he maintained.

The minister said that the PTI leadership was afraid that if it allowed its members to appear before the Speaker individually they may disclose the reality.

PTI should have trust in its Parliamentarians that their loyalties could not be bought or sold he said.

Terming the allegations of horse trading as baseless he said that the government had not approached PTI members during the past one month how it could do that during a two minutes meeting with the Speaker.

Referring to Shah Mehmood Qureshi s statement of October 26 in which he said that it was upto the Speaker to either listen the members individually or collectively.

To a question he said that if PTI leadership had no trust in Sheikh Rasheed then why was it following his suggestions.

To another question regarding attack ON PTV headquarters, he said those responsible were arrested and cases were registered against them. Now the court will decide their fate he said.