ECP notifies 93 lawmakers as PTI MPAs

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday notified another 93 lawmakers as belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as part of the process to implement the Supreme Court ruling on the reserved seats earlier this month.

An ECP notification stated that 29 members of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) in the Punjab Assembly, 58 members in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and six members in the Sindh Assembly had been declared PTI lawmakers.

On July 12, the apex court overturned a decision of the Peshawar High Court (PHC), affirming that the PTI was entitled to reserved seats on the basis of the victory of candidates supported by it in the February 8 elections.

In response to the Supreme Court decision, the ECP took action to implement the ruling, thereby giving the PTI a robust presence in the National Assembly. On Thursday, the ECP officially recognised 39 lawmakers as PTI assembly members (MNAs) and issued a notification to this effect.

The ECP has sought further guidance from the apex court regarding the status of 41 other members. The court ruling had said that the 41 independents, who did not show their affiliation to the PTI in their nomination papers, could file affidavit with the ECP about their party affiliation.