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KARACHI: Six legislators of the Sindh Assembly, including four ministers belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), have tendered their resignations from the assembly ostensibly over the dual nationality issue, a senior official said on Saturday.
Sindh Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah and Technical Education Minister Sadiq Memon of the PPP, IT Minister Raza Haroon and Sports Minister Dr Muhammad Ali Shah of the MQM and the party’s two legislators, Abdul Moeed Siddiqi and Askari Taqvi, were among the MPs who tendered their resignations, said Sindh Assembly Additional Secretary M Farooq Buriro.
“They tendered resignations on November 30, and they were accepted on the same day,” he said, adding that a notification to this effect was also issued on Friday and sent to the Election Commission of Pakistan for further legal proceedings.
To a question, the senior official of the provincial legislature said he was not aware whether these MPAs have submitted their affidavits about their nationality on Nov 30.
However, he admitted that so far only 98 MPs of the Sindh Assembly have submitted their affidavits as per the directions of the ECP, while the total number of MPAs in the provincial legislature was 168.
He said it was up to the Election Commission to decide about by-polls on the six vacant seats of the provincial assembly.
However, an ECP senior official told ‘The News’ that there were no chances of by-polls as only 120 days remained of the present tenure of the assemblies.
However, there was a difference of opinion about the holding of by-polls.
National People’s Party (NPP)’s legislator Arif Mustafa Jatoi told ‘The News’ that the 120 days dateline applied till the expiry of the concerned assembly.
He said each assembly’s first meeting was on a different date. Jatoi pointed out that the Sindh Assembly’s first meeting was held on April 4, 2008.
Therefore, the Sindh Assembly’s cut-off date would be December 4. He said the 120 days dateline applied on by-polls of the National Assembly, whose tenure expires on March 18, while the Sindh Assembly’s tenure expires on April 4.
Jatoi believed that if the resignations of the six MPAs were accepted before December 4, then the by-polls would be mandatory as per the constitutional provisions.
Murad Ali Shah and Raza Haroon are expected to be appointed as advisers to the chief minister.
Sindh Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah and Technical Education Minister Sadiq Memon of the PPP, IT Minister Raza Haroon and Sports Minister Dr Muhammad Ali Shah of the MQM and the party’s two legislators, Abdul Moeed Siddiqi and Askari Taqvi, were among the MPs who tendered their resignations, said Sindh Assembly Additional Secretary M Farooq Buriro.
“They tendered resignations on November 30, and they were accepted on the same day,” he said, adding that a notification to this effect was also issued on Friday and sent to the Election Commission of Pakistan for further legal proceedings.
To a question, the senior official of the provincial legislature said he was not aware whether these MPAs have submitted their affidavits about their nationality on Nov 30.
However, he admitted that so far only 98 MPs of the Sindh Assembly have submitted their affidavits as per the directions of the ECP, while the total number of MPAs in the provincial legislature was 168.
He said it was up to the Election Commission to decide about by-polls on the six vacant seats of the provincial assembly.
However, an ECP senior official told ‘The News’ that there were no chances of by-polls as only 120 days remained of the present tenure of the assemblies.
However, there was a difference of opinion about the holding of by-polls.
National People’s Party (NPP)’s legislator Arif Mustafa Jatoi told ‘The News’ that the 120 days dateline applied till the expiry of the concerned assembly.
He said each assembly’s first meeting was on a different date. Jatoi pointed out that the Sindh Assembly’s first meeting was held on April 4, 2008.
Therefore, the Sindh Assembly’s cut-off date would be December 4. He said the 120 days dateline applied on by-polls of the National Assembly, whose tenure expires on March 18, while the Sindh Assembly’s tenure expires on April 4.
Jatoi believed that if the resignations of the six MPAs were accepted before December 4, then the by-polls would be mandatory as per the constitutional provisions.
Murad Ali Shah and Raza Haroon are expected to be appointed as advisers to the chief minister.
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