Reserved seats: PTI-backed KP, Punjab assemblies lawmakers ‘submit' affidavits of allegiance

• PTI's 91 lawmakers from KP assembly submit affidavits to ECP.
• Party's 105 Punjab MPAs submit affidavits on party's allegiance.
• SC asked PTI to file related documents to get reserved seats.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has submitted the affidavits of its lawmakers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab assemblies declaring their affiliation with the Imran Khan-founded party, sources privy to the party said Wednesday.

The Supreme Court, in its short order on July 12, allowed the PTI to receive seats in the assemblies reserved for women and minorities.

The top court also directed the PTI to submit a list of its eligible candidates for reserved seats to the electoral body within 15 days of the verdict. The ECP should then publish the list of reserved seats of the candidates on its website within seven days, the SC ruling stated.

The PTI submitted affidavits of 91 KP Assembly members and 105 Punjab Assembly lawmakers to the Election Commission, the party sources added.

Last week, as many as 37 PTI-backed MNAs submitted their affidavit of allegiance to the ECP, according to The News.

Out of the total 41 PTI-backed independent legislators , another four are expected to do the needful as per the apex court order in a couple of days.

When contacted, senior PTI leader Shibli Faraz, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Senate, had told The News that three lawmakers were sending their related documents from the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The election regulator, in its July 19 notification, said it would implement the top court's order to grant reserved seats to the PTI.

Having been deprived of its election symbol, the PTI's candidates contested the February 8 elections as independents. However, these independents were directed by the party to join the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) to be eligible for the reserved seats.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) also filed a review petition against the SC ruling declaring the PTI eligible for the reserved seats.