ECP rejects references against PTI’s disgruntled MNAs

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected the references of the PTI requesting the disqualification of its dissenting members of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

A three-member panel headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja reserved its decision earlier after hearing the arguments of all parties — the PTI and the counsels of the dissident lawmakers.

The former prime minister and chairman of the PTI, Imran Khan, had sent a declaration to the former speaker of the National Assembly, Asad Qaiser, requesting the disqualification of 20 members of the party after choosing to vote against him in a vote of no-trust.

But the votes of the dissident lawmakers were not required to drive Khan out of power as the then-Opposition had required to overthrow the government. However, the acting speaker had sent the references against the dissidents on April 14.

In today’s brief verdict, the electoral body unanimously declared that the declaration tabled against lawmakers under Article 63(A) was not consistent with the Constitution of Pakistan.

The PTI had submitted references against MNAs Noor Alam Khan, Dr. Mohammad Afzal Khan Dhandla, Nawab Sher Waseer, Raja Riaz Ahmad, Ahmed Hussain Deharr, Rana Mohammad Qasim Noon, Asim Nazeer, Amjad Farooq Khosa, Aamir Liaquat Hussain, Chaudhry Farrukh Altaf, Syed Mobeen Ahmed, Sayed Sami-ul-Hassan Gillani, Mohammad Abdul Ghaffar Wattoo, Sayed Basit Ahmad Sultan, Aamir Talal Gopang, Sardar Riaz Mehmood Khan Mazari, Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, Wajiha Qamar, Nuzhat Pathan, and Javeria Zafar.