Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has ordered its members of the National Assembly (MNAs) to vote for the party candidate for prime minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and warned of disqualification over violating the direction.

In a letter written from PTI Secretary General Asad Umar to party MNAs, they were asked to be present during the assembly proceedings and vote for Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

The meeting of the parliamentary party of the PTI will be held at 12:00 noon and all members should ensure their presence.

“Anyone violating the party policy will have to face action under Article 63 A of the Constitution,” it said and added, “the violator will be terminated from the party and will be disqualified from National Assembly.”

With PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and PTI Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the run for the coveted post of prime minister, the National Assembly will meet today to elect the new leader of the House.

The NA Secretariat has issued a single-item ‘Orders of the Day for the session that will commence at 2 pm.

“Election of the Prime Minister as required by Article 91 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, read with rule 32 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007,” it read.

The nomination papers of Shehbaz, the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, and PTI candidate Qureshi have been accepted. The PTI raised objections to Shehbaz’s nomination but these were rejected by the Speaker’s Office.