LHC declares acceptance of 72 PTI MNAs’ resignations ‘invalid’

The Lahore High Court (LHC) Friday annulled the National Assembly speaker’s notification accepting the resignations of 72 MNAs of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

While hearing the petitions against the acceptance of resignations, the court ordered the National Assembly speaker to review the decision.

Justice Shahid Karim heard the petitions of former MNA Riaz Fatyana and other former Members of the National Assembly.

Ex-MNAs including Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Riaz Fatyana, Fawad Chaudhry and Shafqat Mehmood were among the petitioners.

The petitioners had pleaded with the court to declare the acceptance of resignations null and void.

Barrister Ali Zafar presented arguments on behalf of the petitioners.

During the hearing, Justice Karim declared that the acceptance of the resignations by the NA Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was “invalid”.

A court had directed the 72 members to appear before the NA speaker to withdraw their resignations and instructed the NA speaker to take a decision after hearing all the members again.

Speaking to media personnel outside the LHC, PTI lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar said that the court had given a “historic decision”