Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Tuesday issued notices to 26 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members of the National Assembly to appear before him in person for verification of resignations, it is learnt. According to sources, the Speaker's office found five out of 31 resignations invalid because the concerned PTI members had addressed their party chairman Imran Khan instead of the Speaker National Assembly.

The sources said that every member of PTI should appear in person before the Speaker National Assembly and each member would be individually asked whether or not he resigned willingly. After verification, the Speaker National Assembly would proceed accordingly. The total strength of PTI in the National Assembly is 34 which makes it the second largest opposition party in the Lower House of the Parliament.

The sources said that three members out of 34 are out of contact and that they may be out of the country at this point in time. Almost all heads of all parliamentary parties in the Parliament have requested the Speaker National Assembly to delay the process of accepting the resignations of PTI members and during this period both the parties may reach some settlement with the PML-N government. The political heads of the parties also requested the PTI leadership to take back resignations.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2014