LAHORE, Feb 23: The Pakistan People’s Party has alleged that the Punjab Assembly speaker has accepted the resignations of nine of its provincial legislators in the back date to avoid disqualification.

“The resignations of nine PPP MPAs, who defected to the PML-N on Feb 15, has been accepted on the back date (Dec 14), which is an immoral act and an insult to the office of the speaker,” PPP central Punjab president Manzoor Wattoo said.

The PPP has already filed a complaint in the Election Commission, seeking disqualification of the MPAs in question on joining the PML-N.

The PPP has pinpointed that members in question had sworn in on Holy Quran before entering into the office that they would remain loyal, sincere and committed to the PPP Parliamentarians.

“The Article 62 (B) and (F) say a person is qualified for the membership of the assembly if he is of a good character, righteous, honest and Amin.”

The PPP has prayed that these MPAs should be declared disqualified and also be refrained from contesting any election.

Speaking at a press conference here on Saturday, Mr Wattoo said that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had committed “unlawful” act but he would not succeed in saving the “turncoats” from getting disqualified.

Those who had defected to the PML-N are: Nishat Ahmed Daha, Syed Jamil Shah, Rana Babar Husain and Abbas Zafar Hiraj (from Khanewal district), Rana Munawwar Husain and Sardar Kamil Gujjar (Sargodha), Javed Alauddin from Okara, Qaiser Sandhu from Gujranwala and Azma Zahid Bukhari (reserved seat).

Mr Wattoo said that fake cases were being registered against the PPP workers in Punjab at the behest of Shahbaz Sharif.

He said the PPP and PML-Q were smoothly moving forward with regard to seat-adjustment.

He said the PPP would table the Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab bill in the National Assembly and Senate before March 16 as the Senate’s standing committee had approved it.