ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan retains the National Assembly’s NA-45 Kurram seat with the electoral body having de-notified him as returned candidate, Friday, on the remaining six NA seats he won in the by-elections held in October last year.

In another development, the ECP has suspended its notifications to de-notify the NA memberships of 32 PTI lawmakers in light of the relevant judgement of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

The move implies that the NA memberships of these 32 lawmakers stand restored.

The six NA seats where the PTI chief has been de-notified as returned candidate have become vacant now— where by-elections are required to be held within 90 days in the light of the relevant law. The ECP has de-notified Khan’s membership from NA-22 Mardan, NA-24 Charsadda, NA-31 Peshawar, NA-108 Faisalabad, NA-118 Nankana Sahib and NA-239 Korangi seat under Article 223(3) of the constitution.

ECP decides to notify Imran Khan’s victory on 7 National Assembly seats

On October 16, 2021, Khan contested the by-elections on seven NA seats out of which he won the aforementioned six seats and lost NA-237 Malir.

The by-poll in NA-245 Kurram was also scheduled on October 16 before the electoral body postponed it to October 31 citing law and order situation. Khan won this by-election too–increasing the number of seats he secured to seven.

Article 223(2) requires from a candidate winning more than one NA seats to choose one seat of their choice within 30 days and quit all other seats.

“If he does not so resign, all the seats to which he has been elected shall become vacant at the expiration of the said period of thirty days except the seat to which he has been elected last or, if he has been elected to more than one seat on the same day, the seat for election to which his nomination was filed last,” this article says.

Khan did not choose any seat for retaining in NA after winning the by-elections on seven seats— but he retains NA-45 Kurram now— given that it was the last seat he won.

In addition, the ECP has suspended its notifications from this month and the last month concerning those 32 lawmakers who were among the PTI MNAs whose resignations were accepted by Speaker NA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. The seats of these 32 MNAs fall in Punjab comprising 27general seats and five women-reserved seats from Punjab. Including these 27 general seats, by-elections were scheduled on 33 NA seats on March 16. The polls would be held on the remaining six NA seats on the same date.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023