————- The PTI members had contested elections as independent candidates and later joined SIC
————- Asad Qaiser, Sher Afzal, Latif Khosa, Zartarj Gul among notified MNAs
————- ECP uploads notification on website to declare MNAs’ affialition with PTI
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday officially recognised 39 members of the National Assembly as part of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The commission has uploaded the notification on its website, according to a spokesperson.
“In pursuance of the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, dated July 12 2024, the following returned candidates against general seats of the National Assembly are declared to have been returned as candidates of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI),” the notification read.
After the apex court ruled the decision in favour of PTI, the electoral watchdog in a press release confirmed its commitment to comply with the court’s directive but instructed its legal team to identify any implementation obstacles promptly.
The commission stated, “The ECP will continue to perform its duties in accordance with the constitution and the law, without yielding to any pressure.”
The apex court’s majority verdict overturned the Peshawar High Court judgment dated March 25 and also declared the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) order dated March 1 unconstitutional, lacking lawful authority and having no legal effect.
The apex court declared that the denial of an election symbol does not affect the constitutional and legal rights of a political party in any manner to participate in an election and to field candidates whereas the ECP is under a constitutional duty to act, construe and apply all statutory provisions accordingly.
Earlier, The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) challenged on Tuesday the July 12 verdict of the apex court on reserved seats, a week after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) submitted its review petition.
The Supreme Court (SC) on July 12 announced its decision that reserved seats be allocated to PTI, reversing previous rulings by the Peshawar High Court and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and declaring that PTI is eligible for the reserved seats for women and minorities.
This ruling came after the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), backed by PTI, filed appeals against the ECP’s decision and the PHC’s subsequent affirmation of that decision. The SIC argued that the denial was unconstitutional and sought the allocation of 77 reserved seats that were originally assigned to other parties within the ruling coalition.
The decision received backlash from the ruling coalition, with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressing her surprise and questioning the legitimacy of reinstating individuals she described as “criminals of the nation. Represented by Farooq H. Naek, the PPP’s review petition seeks to overturn the July 12 decision that previously annulled the decisions of the Peshawar High Court and the Election Commission, directing that the reserved seats be allocated to PTI. This ruling affirmed PTI’s status as a legitimate party within the Parliament and provincial assemblies.
The SC’s Practice and Procedure Committee has scheduled the hearing of the review petitions for after the September holidays.
However, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, dissenting from the majority decision, argued that the summer holidays should be cancelled to address the review petitions promptly.
He emphasized that the Constitution should take precedence over the convenience of judges, stating that delaying the hearing would be unjust.
