PTI challenges ECP’s decision of not unseating defecting MNAs in SC

• Imran Khan wants immediate dismissal of ECP decision.
• Files petition through his lawyer — Faisal Chaudhry.
• ECP dismissed reference against PTI MNAs on May 11.

ISLAMABAD: The PTI Monday moved the Supreme Court to challenge the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision of not unseating its defecting members of the National Assembly (MNAs.)

Ex-prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan, through his lawyer Faisal Chaudhry, submitted a petition to the top court seeking the immediate annulment of the ECP’s decision to dismiss the reference against the party members.

The PTI chairman had sent a declaration to former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, seeking the disqualification of 20 party members after they decided to vote against him in the no-confidence motion.

Read more: ECP dismisses references against dissident PTI MNAs

But the votes of the dissident MNAs were not needed to oust Khan from power as the then-Opposition had enough votes to send the government packing in the wee hours of April 10. However, the acting speaker had sent the references against the dissident members on April 14.

The election commission on May 11 dismissed the PTI's references seeking the disqualification of its dissident members. It added that the declaration filed against the MNAs under Article 63(A) was not found in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan.

The PTI had filed 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.

Read more: ECP 'de-seats' 25 PTI dissident MPAs for voting in Hamza Shahbaz's favour