The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) approached the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday seeking guidelines on how to implement the July 12 decision regarding 41 independent members on the reserved seats.
In its application to the SC Registrar’s Office, the ECP stated that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had no party structure in the commission’s records, and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan was not listed as the party chairman. The ECP explained that 41 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) had submitted documents indicating their affiliation with PTI, which needed confirmation from the party. However, due to the absence of a party structure in the ECP’s records, the commission was uncertain about who could confirm these affiliations.
Despite this, the ECP partially implemented the SC judgment on reserved seats by issuing notifications recognizing 39 returned candidates as PTI MNAs.
An official explained that PTI lost its party structure due to failing to conduct intra-party elections, leading the ECP to declare these elections invalid and as a result, PTI also lost its election symbol.
The 39 notified MNAs include Amjad Ali Khan, Saleem Rehman, Sohail Sultan, Muhammad Bashir Khan, Mehboob Shah, Junaid Akbar, Ali Khan Jadoon, Asad Qaiser, Shahram Khan, Mujahid Ali, Anwar Taj, Fazal Muhammad Khan, Arbab Amir Ayub, Shandana Gulzar Khan, Sher Ali Arbab, Asif Khan, Syed Shah Ahad Ali Shah, Shahid Khan, Nasim Ali Shah, and Sher Afzal Khan. Others include Usama Ahmed Mela, Shafqat Abbas, Ali Afzal Sahi, Rai Haider Ali Khan, Nisar Ahmed, Rana Atif, Changaze Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Ali Sarfraz, Khurram Shahzad Virk, Sardar Muhammad Latif Khan Khosa, Rai Hassan Nawaz Khan, Malik Muhammad Aamir Dogar, Makhdoom Zain Hussain Qureshi, Rana Muhammad Faraz Noon, Mumtaz Mustafa, Muhammad Shabbir Ali Qureshi, Umber Majeed, Awais Haider Jakhar, and Zartaj Gul.
Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court (LHC) declared as null and void a previous verdict that allowed the physical remand of PTI founder Imran Khan in 12 May 9 cases. A two-member bench comprising Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh and Justice Anwarul Haq Pannu reserved the verdict on petitions challenging the former prime minister’s physical remand. The high court also nullified the notification of Khan’s appearance via video link. During the hearing, Justice Saleem noted that the suspect could not be forced to undergo a photogrammetry test, while Justice Pannu questioned the prosecutor on the shift towards modern devices.
Prosecutor General Farhad Ali Shah argued that the facility for conducting the photogrammetry test was available in jail and that it would be unjust not to give the prosecution a full chance. He added that without the recovery of the mobile phone used for tweets and WhatsApp messages, the investigation would be impossible. Justice Pannu asked how the mobile could be recovered if the suspect was in jail.
Khan had filed petitions against the anti-terrorism court’s (ATC) decision to grant police his physical remand, arguing that the court did not properly assess the records. The ATC in Lahore had approved a 10-day physical remand of Khan in 12 cases related to the May 9 riots, spanning various police stations.
LHC’s Justice Tariq Saleem Shaikh also raised an objection regarding the absence of Khan’s signature on the power of attorney in a petition against the supposed transfer of his custody to the military. The judge returned the application and directed the petitioner’s counsel to remove the objection. Barrister Salman Safdar argued that rumors suggested Khan’s custody might be transferred from civilian to military authorities, requesting that his custody remain with civilian authorities.
Separately, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan stated that his party was set to become the largest in the country and had now become a parliamentary party. He noted that the Supreme Court’s decision was being implemented, with 39 members notified, and that more notifications were expected. He added that affidavits from MPs in Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh had been submitted and that a priority list for reserved seats would be submitted to the ECP.
