Why 41 MNAs didn't jump ship to PTI sooner?

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) released a list on Thursday, confirming 39 returned candidates as PTI MNAs, following a Supreme Court ruling that breathed new life into the party.

This has led to the burning question: why didn't the remaining 41 PTI-backed independent candidates hitch their wagons to PTI before, during, or after the general elections?

PTI leaders, speaking to The Express Tribune, have painted a picture of why these candidates stayed on the fence and the hurdles they still face despite the top court's clear-cut decision on July 12, which rejuvenated PTI's fortunes.

Despite an 8-5 split verdict, all 13 judges had declared the PTI a parliamentary party and made it eligible to get reserved seats for women and minorities in the national and provincial assemblies.

The majority judgment stated that 39 out of the 80 MNAs, shown by the ECP as PTI-backed independent candidates, belonged to the party.

It added that the rest of the 41 independents will have to file a duly signed and notarised statement each before ECP within 15 days, explaining that they contested the February 8 general elections as a candidate of a particular political party.

Former National Assembly speaker, Asad Qaiser, recalled that all PTI-backed independent candidates wanted to join PTI but the circumstances back then didn't permit them to do so, revealing he himself had prepared 11 sets of nomination documents to submit through different people in the hope that at least one of them would succeed. "They would pick up people for simply submitting nomination papers back then," he recalled.

Apart from the difficulties being faced during the submission of nomination papers, the PTI stalwart said that PTI needed some people as independents so that they could represent the party if any situation arose following the elections and after entering the assembly as an intra-party election matter was also being pursued back then.

Qaiser revealed that almost all the lawmakers have now submitted affidavits as per the Supreme Court's directions but alleged that, on one hand, the government was creating difficulties for them by simultaneously threatening and luring them while, on the other hand, the ECP was allegedly asking them to individually appear before it to verify their affidavits.

Nevertheless, he hoped that ECP would accept the affidavits, saying that would not only make PTI the single largest party in NA but deprive the ruling coalition of a two-thirds majority. He said that the party's legal team was looking into the issues in detail and completed the process in due time.

Lamenting that PTI has been facing a tough time since its ouster in April 2022, Qaiser said that seeing the overall situation in the country, neither was interested in any position nor portfolio as his aim in life was now to bring rule of law in Pakistan.

Shoaib Shaheen, a key PTI leader and legal team member, shared that the ECP had rejected the papers of those who tried to join PTI as the party's bat symbol was "snatched" and, after that Supreme Court judgment, the candidates couldn't join PTI back then. The PTI legal eagle said that the option opened after the apex court's July 12 judgment. "ECP didn't treat PTI as a party back then," he said.

Subsequently, Shaheen said that the MNAs wanted to join PTI after entering the National Assembly but there was no option to do so, saying either they could stay independent or join the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), which many of them did. Now, he said, affidavits have been submitted and, hopefully, the ECP will declare them as PTI MNAs.

Commenting on the speculations that ECP has allegedly been asking MNAs to individually appear before it, Shaheen said that no such direction has been given by the Supreme Court, therefore, it can't be imposed on the legislators after they have submitted affidavits showing their party affiliation.

A spokesperson of ECP was asked to share comments on ECP's stance on the status of the remaining 41 MNAs; has ECP received affidavits showing their party affiliation; has ECP sought any help from SC; or if it has written a letter to the Supreme Court in this regard. No reply was received till the filing of the story.