ISLAMABAD: In accordance with the July 12 Supreme Court order, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday informed 93 members of three provincial assemblies that they were PTI lawmakers. However, the ECP did not de-notify those who had been granted additional reserved seats in both the national and provincial assemblies.
A notice from the ECP states that the PTI has recognized 29 members of the Punjab Assembly, 58 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, and 6 members of the Sindh Assembly. 39 members of the National Assembly were formally recognized by the electoral watchdog as belonging to the PTI in the past.
However, by choosing at the last minute to petition the Supreme Court for advice on the case of another 41 PTI MNAs who had not disclosed their party affiliation in their nomination papers, the ECP appears to have impeded the PTI’s ascent to become the single largest party in the lower house of parliament. With no local organization, the party urged the Supreme Court to specify who should be contacted to confirm the veracity of these lawmakers’ affidavits.
The PTI was given a fresh lease on life in the legislature on July 12 when the Supreme Court, in a majority decision, ruled that it was entitled to reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the national and provincial assemblies. All 13 judges ruled that the PTI was a parliamentary party, notwithstanding a split vote of 8 to 5.
