The Lahore High Court has declared the notification pertaining to the acceptance of resignations of 72 MNAs “invalid”, overruling the National Assembly speaker and the Election Commission of Pakistan.

On Friday, LHC judge Justice Shahid Karim gave the decision while hearing the petition of PTI leader Riaz Fatyana.

The court ordered such lawmakers to appear in front of the NA speaker to take back their resignations. It also ordered the NA speaker to take a decision after hearing out the PTI lawmakers.

The PTI, after the ouster of its chief Imran Khan as the premier through a trust vote in April, had announced it was resigning en masse from the National Assembly. The announcement was made just hours before Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in as Khan’s successor.

Former NA deputy speaker Qasim Suri subsequently accepted the resignations of 123 PTI MNAs. But incumbent speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf later decided to verify the resignations and eventually accepted the resignations of just 11 lawmakers on July 27, prompting outcry from the PTI.

Earlier this year, the Election Commission of Pakistan de-notified 35 PTI MNAs after their resignations were accepted by National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.

In February, a number of former PTI lawmakers approached the Sindh High Court to challenge the NA speaker’s decision to accept their resignations.