The Deputy Speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly, Qasim Suri, on Thursday accepted the resignations of 123 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs after they decided to disassociate themselves from the National Assembly following the ouster of PTI Chairman Imran Khan from the office of the Prime Minister, media reports said.
Khan was ousted through a no-confidence motion brought against him by the then joint Opposition, a move that the PTI called a "foreign conspiracy" hatched by the United States, Geo News reported.
After being removed from the office, the former premier asked his MNAs to tender their resignations and refused to accept the newly-elected premier, PML-N leader Shebhbaz Sharif, saying "there can't be any bigger insult to this country".
Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Khan lauded his MNAs for tendering their resignations.
"Want to appreciate our 123 MNAs as their resignations have been accepted by Speaker Qasim Suri. Their standing firm for a sovereign Pak and against US-initiated regime change bringing to power criminals, convicted & on bail � the ultimate insult to any self-respecting independent nation," Khan tweeted.
Responding to the call of the former Prime Minister, PTI MNAs tendered their resignations to the Deputy Speaker hours before the election of Shehbaz Sharif as the new PM.
The decision was reportedly made during the PTI's parliamentary party meeting held on April 11, Geo News reported.
Sources privy to the matter quoted Khan as saying: "We will not sit in this Assembly under any circumstances."
He said that PTI will not sit in the Assembly with the "people who have robbed Pakistan" and who have been "imported by foreign forces".