ISLAMABAD, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The deputy speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly, or the lower house of the parliament, on Thursday formally accepted the resignations of members of the house from former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, said a parliament official.
Assistant Director of the Deputy Speaker Office of the National Assembly Tanveer Hussain Malik told Xinhua that Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri had accepted the resignations of 123 members from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and also issued a notification in this regard.
Former Prime Minister and Chairman of the PTI Khan appreciated the 123 members of his party for resigning from the lower house in protest of the change of his government through a no-confidence motion.
The PTI members including Khan submitted their resignations to the office of the deputy speaker on Monday, a day after a majority of the house voted in the favor of the no-confidence motion.
Former Foreign Minister and Vice Chairman of the PTI Shah Mahmood Qureshi told the lower house on Monday that they could not sit along with an alliance that was formed under a conspiracy from the United States against Khan's government, demanding that the country should go for fresh general elections.
The PTI has been the single largest party with 155 members in the 342-member house, but a no-confidence motion was brought after over 20 members deserted the PTI under what Khan called "a foreign conspiracy." ■