ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday notified 93 returned members of three provincial assemblies as the lawmakers belonging to the PTI in pursuance of the July 12 Supreme Court order, but still failed to de-notify those who had been allocated additional reserved seats in the national as well as provincial assemblies.

According to a notification issued by the ECP, 29 members of the Punjab Assembly, 58 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, and six members of the Sindh Assembly have been recognised as PTI members. Previously, the electoral watchdog had officially recognised 39 members of the National Assembly as part of the PTI.

The ECP, however, apparently delayed the emergence of the PTI as the single largest party in the lower house of parliament by its last-minute decision to approach the Supreme Court to seek guidance on the case of another 41 PTI MNAs who had not mentioned their party affiliation in their nomination papers. It asked the Supreme Court to clarify who should be contacted for verification of these lawmakers’ affidavits since the party had no organisational structure on the ground.

In a majority verdict, the Supreme Court on July 12 declared the PTI eligible to receive reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the national and provincial assemblies, giving it a new lease of life in the legislature by declaring it to be a parliamentary party. Despite an 8-5 split, all 13 judges declared the PTI a parliamentary party.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2024