Around two dozen PTI MNAs staged a sit-in outside the house of the National Assembly speaker in Islamabad Monday morning, shortly after they sent him emails to withdraw their resignations.

The MNAs later gathered outside the headquarters of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The MNAs wanted to enter the Parliament House but they were stopped by the security staff. The speaker has closed the Parliament House on the account of an electric shortcircut.

Aftre being stopped from entering the Parliament, the MNAs staged a sit-in outside Speaker Pervaiz Ashraf’s residence.

The protesters blocked the road leading to the Minister’s Enclave.

PTI MNA Amir Dogar told reporters that the MNAs wanted to meet the speaker to withdraw their resignations.

He said the MNAs had come to the Parliament to remove Raja Riaz as the Leader of the Opposition.

In Pakistan, elections are held under a caretaker government appointed in consultation with the outgoing prime minister and the opposition leader. The current opposition leader is Raja Riaz, a renegade PTI member, who with another 30 PTI MNAs refused to resign in April.

The MNAs later moved their protest to the ECP office.

The PTI is also protesting the appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab.