ISLAMABAD: Nine members of the National Assembly belonging to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) of Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have submitted a notice to the Speaker’s Secretariat to declare Imran Khan’s seat in the House vacant as he has been absent for 40 consecutive days.
The announcement pertaining to his absence was made by the deputy speaker of the National Assembly a day earlier, and Imran Khan can be de-seated with the consent of the house any time.
Parliamentary sources in the National Assembly said that two separate submissions were filed on Thursday; one is notice and other is resolution under the rules of the National Assembly. Naima Kishwar Khan, Maulana Amir Zaman, Maulana Gohar Shah, Qari Muhammad Yusuf, Maulvi Muhammad Agha, M Aasia Nasir, Alia Kamran, Shahida Akhtar Ali (JUI) and Dr Ibadullah Khan (PML-N) submitted the resolution, asking for declaring seat of NA-56 Rawalpindi vacated since the member elected from this constituency Imran Khan has failed representing the constituents by abstaining from the house for forty consecutive days.
They have cited the relevant rules and article 64 (2) of the Constitution for seeking declaration. The relevant article says “64. Vacation of seats.- (1) 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 resign his seat, and thereupon his seat shall become vacant. (2) A House may declare the seat of a member vacant if, without leave of the House, he remains absent for forty consecutive days of its sittings.” The notice has been given under rule 44 of the National Assembly seeking re-election in the constituency. The sources said that Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq will take decision about putting up the resolution and the notice in the house any day during the ongoing session of the National Assembly.
Internews
