Islamabad (Web Desk): Deputy Speaker of National Assembly (NA) Qasim Suri, who is acting speaker after the resignation of Asad Qaiser, on Thursday accepted the resignations of 123 MNAs of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Confirming the move, PTI leader Farrukh Habib tweeted that notification has also been issued in this regard.
He said that general elections had now become inevitable in the country after the acceptance of resignations submitted by the PTI lawmakers.
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On April 11, the PTI announced it was resigning from the National Assembly minutes before the scheduled election of the new prime minister, paving the way for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif to secure the coveted slot.
Imran Khan also tendered his resignation on April 11 as a member of the National Assembly, a day after his ouster as the prime minister by the lower house of parliament through a no-confidence vote.
After being removed from the office, the former premier asked his MNAs to tender their resignations and refused to accept the newly elected premier, saying "there can't be any bigger insult to this country".
In a tweet on Thursday, Imran Khan appreciated his Party's MNAs for tendering their resignations.
"Want to appreciate our 123 MNAs as their resignations have been accepted by Speaker Qasim Suri. Their standing firm for a sovereign Pak & against US-initiated regime change bringing to power criminals, convicted & on bail — the ultimate insult to any self-respecting indep[endent] nation, " Khan wrote.
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In all, the PTI has 155 members in the 272-member House, of them, 20 are dissidents who have been served notices by the party. The decision of the remaining 12 lawmakers remains unclear.
It is pertinent to mention that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) can hold the by-elections at any given point and it is not bound by any time limit.
On Saturday, April 10, Imran Khan was ousted as the prime minister of Pakistan from office through a no-confidence motion.
