ISLAMABAD: After trading accusations with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, Arsalan Iftikhar – son of former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry – has revealed plans to stand for election from NA-56 (Rawalpindi VII), the constituency that Mr Khan represents in the National Assembly.

In a petition filed by Arsalan Iftikhar’s counsel, Mobeenuddin Qazi, at the Rawalpindi registry of the Lahore High Court, the petitioner states that as a registered voter in Quetta, he is entitled to contest elections for a National Assembly seat anywhere in the country, especially NA-56.

The petition maintains that since submitting his resignation to the speaker of the National Assembly on August 22, 2014 along with 29 other MNAs from his party, Imran Khan had abandoned the constituency and constituents, leaving them unrepresented.

Through the petition, Mr Iftikhar seeks to challenge the delay in the approval of the PTI MNAs’ resignations from the National Assembly, especially in the case of Mr Khan.

He contended that NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq wanted to confirm the intentions of other PTI MNAs over fears that they may be forced into resigning against their own will. However, Mr Khan, the petitioner contends, is clearly the instigator in this case and has made his intention to resign from the assembly quite clear.

According to the petitioner’s counsel, “a large number of residents and voters from NA-56 were approaching the petitioner (and asking him) to contest the election from their constituency and represent them in the National Assembly”.

The petition maintains that Mr Iftikhar was going to file a reference with the National Assembly speaker asking for the disqualification of Mr Khan, but following his resignation the petitioner could not do so.

The petitioner challenged the near two-month delay in action on the PTI resignations, insisting that by doing so, the speaker has failed to perform his constitutional and legal obligation, for which he owes an explanation to the petitioner as well as the voters of NA-56.

He maintained that by issuing notices to PTI members for verification, the NA speaker had implicitly acknowledged that he has received the resignations.

But instead of notifying the resignations, the speaker seems to be requesting the members to withdraw them and extending the time needed to process the resignations, which is illegal, unconstitutional and unwarranted.

On Tuesday, LHC Justice Mazhar Iqbal Sindhu gave the National Assembly speaker one month to submit his para-wise comments to explain the delay in the acceptance of PTI MNAs’ resignations.

The petitioner has named PTI chief Imran Khan, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the cabinet division secretary as respondents.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2014