The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared 93 lawmakers from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh assemblies as members of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), following a Supreme Court ruling. This decision makes PTI the largest party in the national assembly.
The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that PTI is eligible for reserved seats for women and minorities, overturning a previous decision by the ECP and Peshawar High Court. The ruling coalition partners, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), have filed a review petition against this verdict.
The ECP notified the 93 lawmakers as 'returned candidates' of PTI in line with the Supreme Court's order in the reserved seats case. This includes 29 lawmakers from the Punjab assembly, 58 from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly, and six from the Sindh assembly.
Earlier, the ECP had declared 39 PTI lawmakers from the National Assembly as candidates affiliated with PTI. These members had shown their affiliation with the party in their documents submitted to the election commission ahead of the general elections.
On July 25, the ECP sought the Supreme Court's guidance on legal and constitutional aspects regarding the issue of PTI lawmakers in the national and provincial assemblies. The ECP argued that it was facing difficulty in implementing the top court's ruling as PTI had no organizational structure for confirmation of the statements of its members.
In a landmark ruling on July 12, the Supreme Court declared PTI eligible for reserved seats of women and minorities in the national and provincial assemblies. These PTI members had contested the February 8 elections as independent candidates and later joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) on the party's instruction to receive reserved seats.
The Supreme Court's decision came after the ECP and Peshawar High Court had earlier deprived PTI of its reserved seats, citing that the party could not submit the list of its candidates in the stipulated time.
Imran Khan is a famous cricketer turned politician in Pakistan. He is the leader of the political party called Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He has also served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
PTI stands for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which means Pakistan Movement for Justice. It is a political party in Pakistan led by Imran Khan.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is a government body responsible for organizing and overseeing elections in Pakistan. They make sure elections are fair and follow the rules.
Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh are three of the four provinces in Pakistan. Each province has its own assembly where lawmakers make decisions for the region.
The Supreme Court is the highest court in Pakistan. It makes important decisions about the law and can overturn decisions made by lower courts.
The National Assembly is one of the two houses of Pakistan's parliament. It is where elected representatives make laws and decisions for the whole country.
Reserved seats are special seats in the assembly set aside for women and minority groups. This ensures that these groups have a voice in the government.
The Peshawar High Court is a regional court in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It handles legal cases and can make important decisions for the region.
Ruling coalition partners are different political parties that work together to form the government. They join forces to have enough members to make decisions and pass laws.
A review petition is a request made to a court to reconsider its decision. It is usually filed when someone believes the court made a mistake in its ruling.
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