PTI will not return to National Assembly: Fawad

Former information minister and senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry said on Tuesday that the party does not have any intention of returning to the National Assembly, Aaj News reported.

“They (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) have occupied the assembly, and we don't have any intention of returning,” Fawad said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside former energy minister Hammad Azhar.

Fawad said PTI lawmakers had tendered their resignations, which were accepted by the former speaker, stressing that the incumbent speaker does not have the authority to review the resignations of party members.

Earlier, Farrukh Habib reiterated that PTI lawmakers had resigned from the lower house of parliament. "At the time, Qasim Suri had issued a notification accepting the resignations," he said.

“There is no need for further action,” Habib said, alleging that the resignations were illegally being postponed.

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During today's presser, Fawad also lashed out at the government for its action against PTI protesters on May 25 and said that the party was compiling a video, and would also raise the issue at the international level.

“We are also filing criminal complaints in Pakistan,” he said, adding that such violence was not even carried out during dictatorships. Fawad said that the videos would then be sent to international human rights commissions.

The former minister alleged that the government fired at unarmed protesters, including women, and was now trying to manipulate the narrative.

He maintained that the PTI allowed political parties to stage protests during their tenure, adding that Imran directed authorities to provide the protesters with facilities.

He also questioned why the Supreme Court was not constituting a commission to probe the “regime change conspiracy,” noting that President Dr Arif Alvi had also written to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial in this regard.