The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leadership has agreed to take action against the ruling parties’ dissident MNAs who were residing in Sindh House in Islamabad ahead of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, Federal Minister for Law Farogh Naseem has reportedly refused to promulgate an ordinance that would disqualify the dissident lawmakers for at least five years.

Under Election Act 231-A, Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan presented the draft of an ordinance that stated: “The dissident members should be declared ineligible for five years.” Geo News reported quoting sources.

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However, Naseem refused to make amendments to the Election Act, saying members of the Parliament could not be disqualified “through an ordinance” and the disqualification could only be carried out “through a parliamentary act ”.

“According to Article 63 (1) (p), the legal disqualification of a member can only be carried out under a parliamentary act,” the law minister was quoted as saying in the report.

The government could issue an ordinance now and then repeal it later, a member of the government suggested. But, the law minister also rejected this proposal.

However, AG Khan said that no ordinance draft related to the disqualification of dissident lawmakers was presented to the law ministry. Only the reference of the ordinance 63 (A) was discussed during the meeting, he added.

The talks of Governor rule in Sindh proposed by Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed were also gaining momentum as the federal minister also submitted a summary to impose an emergency in the province on Friday.

Naseem also opposed imposing emergency in Sindh, saying “it would backfire.”

On Friday, the government decided to file a reference in the Supreme Court for interpretation of Article 63 (A), which relates to disqualification of lawmakers on grounds of defection.