PTI MNAs barred from entering parliament

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs have staged a protest outside Parliament House as Islamabad police barred them from entering the building, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The PTI MNAs – including Faheem Khan, Aftab Hussain Siddiqui, Saifur Rehman, Aftab Jahangir, Alamgir Khan and others – have staged a protest at Parliament gate after police barred the leaders from entering the building.

The MNAs were chanting slogans against the federal government, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

They questioned the police’s move to lock up the gates of Parliament, demanding National Assembly (NA) Speaker to show the order of the day.

They said they have brought the court orders, reinstating them as members of National Assembly (MNAs).

In a statement, NA Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf has declared that members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would not be allowed to participate in National Assembly proceedings, following consultation with constitutional experts.

The Election Commission’s notification regarding the resignations of PTI members has been suspended by the Sindh High Court, as confirmed by the National Assembly spokesperson.

However, the spokesperson also clarified that the Sindh High Court had not yet made a decision regarding the Speaker’s ruling on the eligibility of the resigned PTI members to participate in National Assembly proceedings.

The NA spokesperson stated that, in accordance with the rules of the National Assembly, resigned members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were now considered out of the National Assembly and were not allowed to enter the House. Similarly, the rules also prohibit the entry of strangers into the National Assembly.