LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Central Punjab President Dr Yasmin Rashid on Wednesday urged the Election Commission of Pakistan to notify the party’s winning candidates of the results of the by-election for 20 seats – vacated after the disqualification of turncoats.

In her application to the commission, Dr Rashid also demanded that it should take action on horse trading by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

Dr Rashid through her counsel Rana Mudassar Umer stated that four days had already passed since the by-election, but the commission had yet to issue the notifications of elected members from the respective constituencies without any excuse or legal justification. She stated that any delay would not only be illegal but also contemptuous to the Supreme Court’s July 1 order in the case titled as “Mohammad Sibtain Khan and other versus the Province of Punjab through its chief secretary and others”.

Dr Rashid stated that the winning candidates had yet to take the oath and then participate in the next session of the Punjab Assembly scheduled and notified for July 22 (Friday) in the Punjab Assembly building.

She stated that the delay in announcement/declaration of the result of the by-election without any justification would strengthen the element of corrupt and illegal practises by the prime minister and the interior minister, who are not only misusing their authority to influence the independent institution, but both of them also illegally unlawfully using the government machinery for horse trading that needed to be dealt with iron hands and required immediate and strict action.

The PTI central Punjab president demanded that the election commission notify the elected candidates so that they could take an oath and participate in the next scheduled session.

She demanded that strict action should be taken on the factors of undue influence, unlawful use of government machinery and misuse of authority by the prime minister and the interior minister.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2022