PTI Lawmaker Faces Ejection After 40 Days of No-Show in Parliament
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly has initiated proceedings to vacate the seat of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Sheikh Waqas Akram following his unexplained absence from parliamentary sessions for over 40 consecutive days.
During a session of the National Assembly, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq informed the House that Sheikh Waqas Akram had failed to attend without providing any formal notice or applying for leave. Citing Assembly rules, the Speaker noted that any member can move a motion to vacate a seat under such circumstances. Once moved, the motion must be placed before the House for a vote within seven days.
Following the speaker’s remarks, PML-N MNA Nousheen Iftikhar immediately moved a motion to declare Waqas Akram’s seat vacant. Speaker Sadiq confirmed that the motion would be scheduled for a vote, and the House holds the authority to approve, reject, or postpone the decision.
The move sparked strong opposition from PTI lawmakers, who questioned the attendance records of PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif and Hamza Shahbaz. However, the Assembly Secretariat clarified that both Nawaz and Hamza had officially submitted their leave requests, whereas no such request or written communication had been received from Sheikh Waqas Akram.
Even if Akram submits a request later, the motion remains active and will be decided by the collective opinion of the House, per parliamentary rules.
ECP Disqualifies Nine PTI Leaders, Including Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub
In a related development, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has disqualified nine PTI lawmakers, including top figures Shibli Faraz (Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) and Omar Ayub (Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly). The decision follows their convictions in cases related to the May 9 unrest.
Others disqualified include Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Zartaj Gul, Junaid Afzal Sahi, Muhammad Ansar Iqbal, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Rai Haider Ali, and Rai Murtaza Iqbal.
According to the ECP notification, the lawmakers were disqualified under constitutional provisions following court convictions, effectively vacating their seats in the Senate and National Assembly.
