ISLAMABAD - In a major development, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Friday de-seated 25 dissident Members Punjab Assembly belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in defection case under Article 63A.
The ECP unanimously announced its judgement reserved a couple of days back.
The Supreme Court the other day also did the interpretation of the article 63A in the Presidential Reference that the vote of defector could not be counted.
A three-member bench of the ECP headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and comprising Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Shah Mohammad Jatoi heard the reference of Punjab Speaker Parvez Elahi seeking disqualification of PTI’s 25 members, who had cast their vote in favour of Hamza Shehbaz in the election of Punjab chief ministership.
The decision, announced by CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja, termed that the dissenting of the party members have been proved under Article 63 A of the constitution of Pakistan.
The ECP said that the election of Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz has become controversial now, adding that this election would be conducted again.
The dissident lawmakers include Raja Sagheer Ahmed, Malik Ghulam Rasool Sangha, Saeed Akbar Khan, Mohammad Ajmal, Abdul Aleem Khan, Nazir Ahmed Chohan, Mohammad Amin Zulqernain, Malik Nauman Langrial, Mohammad Salman, Zawar Hussain Warraich, Nazir Ahmed Khan, Fida Hussain, Zahra Batool, Mohammad Tahir, Aisha Nawaz, Sajida Yousaf, Haroon Imran Gill, Uzma Kardar, Malik Asad Ali, Ijaz Masih, Mohammad Sabtain Raza, Mohsin Atta Khan Khosa, Mian Khalid Mehmood, Mehar Mohammad Aslam and Faisal Hayat.
Later, PTI lawyer Faisal Chaudhry told The Nation that it’s in accordance with constitution and law and the defectors can’t violate the constitution and hide behind it.
He said, “One can’t defend with broken shield and the defectors had broken the shield and tried to hide behind it.”
The dissident lawmakers should show the courage to submit their resignations and contest the elections afresh, he said.
Talking to media outside of the ECP, PTI leader Asad Umer said that the ECP has announced the verdict of the disqualification of 25 dissidents who violated the party direction, adding that “no one knows that who is the Chief Minister and Governor of Punjab”.
He advised the dissident parliamentarians of the PTI not to go to public for vote as they would reject them.
He said that PTI has no confidence on ECP and CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja and if the present election commission conducted fresh elections so it would be suspicious.
Another PTI leader Farrukh Habib said on the occasion that the ‘Changa Manga’ politics in the country has stopped forever.
He added that due to the ECP verdict against 25 PTI defectors, Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz has lost majority, who having 197 votes in the house. The PTI leader demanded of the government to immediately announce new elections.
