The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has officially recognized 39 MNAs as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers following a Supreme Court ruling on the reserved seats case, it was revealed on Thursday. The ECP issued the notification for these 39 MNAs on Wednesday.
In a landmark decision on July 12, the Supreme Court declared that PTI is eligible to receive reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the national and provincial assemblies. This verdict, achieved by a unique majority, effectively revitalized PTI’s presence in the legislature by affirming its status as a parliamentary party.
Despite an 8-5 split, all 13 judges concurred that PTI qualifies as a parliamentary party. The majority judgement clarified that 39 out of the 80 MNAs listed by the ECP as PTI candidates were indeed affiliated with the party. The remaining 41 independents must submit notarized statements to the commission within 15 days, confirming their candidacy under a specific political party during the February 8 general elections.
Last week, the ECP decided to enforce the Supreme Court’s directive. In a meeting on Friday, it was noted that the 39 MNAs identified as PTI lawmakers had indicated their party affiliation in their nomination papers. However, they failed to provide the required party ticket and declaration to the returning officers, making it impossible for the officers to officially recognize them as PTI candidates at that time.
The ECP explained that the 41 candidates labeled as independents did not mention PTI in their nomination papers, nor did they disclose their party affiliation or submit any party ticket. Consequently, the returning officers permitted them to contest the elections as independent candidates.
This is a developing story. More to follow
