With the country still smarting from the government's mishandling of the Faizabad sit-in, PML-N's Member National Assembly (MNA) Sheikh Muhammad Akram said last night that he, along with 12 other PML-N lawmakers, had handed their resignations to Sargodha-based spiritual leader Pir Hameeduddin Sialvi.
Akram said that he and 12 other members of the party had handed their resignations to Pir Sialvi as they would "not compromise on the matter of the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat law".
He said the lawmakers would abide by whatever decision Pir Sialvi takes in the matter.
"We all told Pir Sialvi to hold on to our resignations and make a decision on them once he has met with a team from the government and discussed the matter," Akram said during the show.
When asked if the resigning legislators would reconsider their decision now that Law Minister Zahid Hamid had resigned from his post, Akram said that he would let Pir Sialvi decide on the matter.
According to Akram, while Pir Sialvi believed that the religious leaders had a right to stage a sit-in at Faizabad, people's lives should have not been disrupted and public property should not have been destroyed during the protest.
Punjab Auqaf and Religious Affairs Minister Zaeem Qadri, who was also present on the show, said that he had tried to contact Pir Sialvi a couple of times but was unable to do so. He added that he would meet Pir Sialvi personally and try and resolve the matter as soon as possible.
Resignation of Rana Sanaullah demanded
On Tuesday evening, Qadri called on Pir Sialvi on behalf of the government so as to resolve the issue.
However, instead of offering a sympathetic ear, Pir Sialvi made it clear to Qadri that the resignations would only be reviewed if Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah resigns and seeks a pardon for his statements.
Pir Sialvi gave a deadline of three days to the government to decide on the matter, failing which, Sialvi said, he would march on Lahore.
