Nine out of 13 independents join PTI

All the MNAs-elect belong to Punjab

ISLAMABAD: In the run-up to the inaugural session of new parliament, all the independent MNAs-elect in Punjab have chosen to be partisan by joining party of their choice. However, four from the rest of three provinces have chosen to stay aloof to the power game.

Nine out of total 13 independents opted to join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) during the recently concluded general elections.

All the independent MNAs-elect from Punjab have joined PTI in the National Assembly (NA).



Four MNA-elect who did not become part of any political party in the House include two from tribal belt (erstwhile known as Federally Administered Tribal Areas) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and one each from Sindh and Balochistan.

The two independent candidates, Mohsin Javed and Muhammad Ali who reportedly had an affiliation with Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) ran for the NA as independents and succeeded in securing their seats for the lower house of parliament.
Mohsin Javed ran for the National Assembly for the constituency of NA-48 (North Waziristan) and bagged 16,526 votes and stood victorious.



On other hand Muhammad Ali Wazir, another PTM activist who contested election from NA-50 as an independent also made his way to parliament.
Both the elected MNAs have decided to stay as independent legislators in parliament. Wazir had secured 23,589 votes.

The only MNA elect from Sindh who also opted to stand aloof in parliament is Ali Muhammad Khan Mahar.
Contesting from NA-205 as an independent candidate he bagged 72,082 votes and decided to keep his status of ‘independent’ in the House.

Mohammad Aslam Bhoootani, another independent candidate from the constituency of NA-272 which is numerically the last constituency of parliament bagged 72,082 votes.
He also decided to retain his status in the House as an MNA.

Bhootani won a National Assembly seat on NA-272 defeating the heads of two political parties, Jam Kamal Khan (Balochistan Awami Party) and Sardar Akhtar Mengal (Balochistan National Party).

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on August 7 had issued notification of successful MNAs and August 9 was the last date for the independent elected MNAs to announce their affiliation with any of the political party.

In the process nine preferred to join PTI which took the tally of seats of the party to 125 from 116 for the general seats.

The independent MNAs are free to join opposition or treasury benches but now they can’t join some political party after the lapse of deadline in this connection, stated sources in the ECP.
Sources close to Bhootani said the independent MNA-elect would vote in favour of PTI for different slots in the National Assembly despite his stance to stay as an independent legislator.