Experts predict that the decision made by LHC won’t delight parliament.
ISLAMABAD:The recent court order halting the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) de-notification of 72 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs has made it possible for them to return to the legislature, but some experts think the National Assembly may view the decision as interfering in its internal affairs.
Though the court’s ruling has made it possible for the PTI MNAs to rejoin the legislature, it has raised questions about where exactly the line should be drawn between judicial interference and parliamentary independence.
The judicial lifeline is being viewed as just another attempt to change the assembly’s norms in the midst of a legal struggle.
The Lahore High Court ordered 72 PTI MNAs to personally appear before NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to have their resignations accepted, and it suspended the de-notification of those lawmakers by the ECP on Friday.In addition, the court had instructed the speaker to make a ruling after hearing the PTI MNAs’ positions once again.
72 PTI MNAs filed petitions with the LHC’s Justice Shahid Karim, asking the court to overturn the notifications from the NA speaker and the ECP that accepted their resignations and de-notified them, respectively, and that resulted in the declaration of their seats vacant.
Following the removal of PTI leader Imran Khan as premier in April of last year, the PTI legislators had all resigned from the lower house of parliament. But in February of this year, a number of PTI MNAs asked the LHC to set aside the two notices so they could return to the assembly after repeatedly begging the speaker to accept their resignations.
Famous political analyst Zaigham Khan believes that the NA speaker will not permit the PTI MNAs to return to the assembly because, first, he has the sole authority to accept resignations and, second, allowing them back in the assembly at this time would not be in the government’s best interests.
Because they will view the court’s ruling as an intrusion into its internal affairs, Zaigham predicted that the parliament (NA) wouldn’t accept it.
The political expert claims that resignations are covered by Article 64. He said, “A member of Majlis-e-Shoora (parliament) may, by writing under his hand addressed to the speaker or, as the case may be, the chairman resigns his seat, and thereupon his seat shall become vacant.”
