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Published 31 Aug, 2015 04:54pm

ECP announces schedule for by-elections in NA-122 and NA-154

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday announced the schedule for by-elections in NA 122 and NA 154 constituencies which were vacated after the Punjab election tribunal's commission had ordered re-election during the past two weeks.

According to the ECP schedule, polling in both constituencies will be held on October 11.

The election process will begin from September 10, when the ECP will start accepting nomination papers of the candidates. The deadline for submitting the nomination papers is September 11.

The ECP will scrutinise the nomination papers from September 14 to September 15.

On September 21, the ECP will issue the final list containing the names of the candidates.

Last week, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) announced it will contest by-elections in NA-122 and NA-154 constituencies, said a report on Radio Pakistan.

Know more: N-league to contest by-polls in NA-122, NA-154 constituencies

Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid invited PTI chairman Imran Khan to contest the by-elections against Sardar Ayaz Sadiq from NA-122 Lahore. Similarly, he said, Jehangir Tareen should contest by-elections from NA-154.

Talking to media persons after a high level meeting of the party leaders in Islamabad on Thursday, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said the party would not seek stay orders against elections in these constituencies. They, however, said the party would seek legal remedies to keep the record straight.

Read: NA-122 election tribunal deseats Ayaz Sadiq, orders re-polling

Previously, Punjab election commission's tribunal ordered re-polling in National Assembly constituency, NA-122, declaring the election in the constituency null and void – accepting Imran Khan's petition challenging the 2013 election result.

PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while talking to DawnNews, termed the decision as historic, adding that it would go a long way in ensuring a transparent election system in Pakistan.

Also read: Election tribunal orders re-election in NA-154, deseats PML-N lawmaker

Recently, the tribunal had also announced its verdict in favour of Jahangir Tareen over a petition filed by the former secretary general of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) against alleged rigging in NA-154 (Lodhran).

The tribunal deseated Pakistan Muslim League—Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Muhammad Siddique Khan Baloch and ordered re-election in the constituency.

NA-122 and and NA-154 (Lodhran) were among the four controversial constituencies — the other two being NA-110 (Sialkot), NA-125 (Lahore) — where PTI had demanded for voters’ thumbprint verification in the hopes of finding a solution that might be acceptable to all concerned.

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