ECP de-notifies 43 PTI MNAs in one fell swoop

In a major setback to the PTI, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday de-notified 43 more MNAs of the party.

The resignations of these lawmakers were accepted by National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on January 22, following which he had sent their names to the ECP for their de-notification.

As per an ECP statement, the de-notified MNAs included Anwar Taj (NA-23 Charsadda), Muhammad Yaqoob Shaikh (NA-39 DI Khan), Gul Zafar Khan (NA-41 Bajaur-25), Jawad Hussain (NA-47 Orakzai), Tahir Sadiq (NA-55 Attock-I), Mian Zulfiqar Khan (NA-64 Chakwal-I), Haji Imtiaz Ahmed Choudhary (NA-85 MB Din-29), Malik Muhammad Ehsan (NA-94 Khushab-ll), Malik Muhammad Ehsan Ullah Tiwana (NA-94 Khushab-ll), Raza Nasrullah (NA-106 Faisalabad-V), Muhammad Riaz Khan (NA-113 Toba Tek Singh-III), Muhammad Mehboab Sultan (NA-114 Jhang-33), Muhammad Ahmeer Sultan (NA-176 Jhang-ll), Rahat Aman Ullah Bhatti (NA-119 Sheikhupura), Rai Muhammad Murtaza lqbal (NA-14 Sahiwal-IIl), Mian Muhammad Shafiq (NA-161 Lodhran-Il), Muhammad Farooq Azam Malik (NA-170 Bahawalpur), Javed lqbal (NA-179 Rahim Yar Khan-V), Muhammad Shabbir Ali )NA-181 Muzaffargarh-l), Niaz Ahmed (NA-188 Layyah-III), Khawaja Sheraz Mehmaod (NA-189 Dera Ghazi Khan-I), Sardar Muhammad Khan Leghari (NA-192 Dera Ghazi Khan-V), Sardar Nasrullah Khan Dreshak (NA-194 Rajanpur-ll), Munaza Hassan (on a reserved seat for women, Punjab), Dr Seemin Rehman Bokhari (on a reserved seat for women, Punjab), Sobia Kamal Khan (on a reserved seat for women, Punjab), Nausheen Hamid (on a reserved seat for women, Punjab), Rubina Jamil (on a reserved seat for women, Punjab), Fauzia Behram (on a reserved seat for women, Punjab), Rukhsana Naveed (on a reserved seat for women, Punjab), Tashfeen Safdar (on a reserved seat for women, Punjab), Syma Nadeem (on a reserved seat for women, Sindh), Ghazala Saifi (on a reserved seat for women, Sindh), Nusrat Wahid (on a reserved seat for women, Sindh), Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak (on a reserved seat for women, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa), Sajida Begum (on a reserved seat for women, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa), Nooreen Farooq Khan (on a reserved seat for women, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa), Uzma Riaz (on a reserved seat for women, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa), Zille Huma (on a reserved seat for women, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa), Shaheen Naz Saifullah (on a reserved seat for women, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa), Lal Chand (on a reserved seat for a non-Muslim), Shunila Ruth (on a reserved seat for a non-Muslim), Jai Parkash (on a reserved seat for a non-Muslim), and Jamshed Thomas (on a reserved seat for a non-Muslim).

The PTI had decided to bring these lawmakers back to the NA, and also requested the ECP not to de-notify them. Now the PTI only has its estranged members left in the NA as well as two others, Sardar Talib Naki and Prince Nawaz Allai, who had followed the party policy in the lower house, but were spared due to their leave requests.

The PTI lawmakers had tendered their resignations en masse after their party chief Imran Khan was ousted as the prime minister through a no-confidence motion in April last year.

Speaker Ashraf of the new government, after approving 11 resignations of PTI MNAs in July 2022, had halted the process, saying that the remaining lawmakers would be summoned “individually” to verify of they were “willingly” quitting their seats.

However, unlike what he had said, the speaker hastened the acceptance of the resignations when the PTI recently announced its return to the assembly for PM Shehbaz to take a vote of confidence.

After the de-notification of the PTI MNAs, the NA secretariat has started preparations to vacate them from the Parliament Lodges.

It has written a letter to the Capital Development Authority to have the former MNAs leave the official residences.

The former MNAs belonging to the PTI have been given a week’s time to vacate the lodges and clear their dues. They have also been directed to return the benefits they were using as members of parliament.