Jamali resigns as MNA in the last week of NA "protesting against lack of funds"

ISLAMABAD – Former prime minister and senior member of PML-N Mir Zafarullah Jamali announced his resignation last week in the National Assembly to protest against lack of sufficient funds and resources for Balochistan.

“I on the floor of the house announce to resign from the National Assembly,” said the former prime minister in the midst of budget debate.

He further said that he will submit his formal resignation in writing to the National Assembly speaker’s office.

While talking about Chairman NAB, Jamali stated that “Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah had selected the name of chairman NAB by using their constitutional authority.”

“If the prime minister and the opposition leader are not satisfied with the NAB chairman’s performance then they should resign,” said Jamali.

Despite being a senior member of the Pakistan Muslim League N (PML-N) he had been openly criticizing the incumbent government and its policies for a while now.

“It might be my last speech in the National Assembly,” he said last month while hinting his resignation in his last attended session. His speech was mostly against the government’s policies.

While he had supported former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Mariyam Nawaz for being granted permission to visit Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, he strongly criticized the newly introduced ‘tax amnesty scheme’ and some of the other initiatives taken by the incumbent government.

Jamali was nominated as the 13th Prime Minister of Pakistan on November 21, 2002 during the government of Pervez Musharraf. He took the oath of office on November 23, 2002, and stepped down in 2004.