Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar announced on Wednesday that parliament, the supreme institution, has enacted a law to prevent floor crossing, as envisioned in the Constitution.
During a press conference, he explained that PML-N’s Bilal Azhar Kayani introduced the Elections Act (2nd Amendment) Bill in the National Assembly, while Senator Talal Chaudhry presented it in the Senate.
Tarar highlighted that the bill was passed by both the National Assembly and the Senate with majority votes. He emphasized that the Constitution clearly addresses the issue of floor crossing.
He noted that, according to the rules, an independent candidate must join a party within three days of the official election results announcement.
Tarar questioned whether a member’s party affiliation could be changed after submitting an affidavit.
He pointed out that two Supreme Court judges had raised significant points, noting that even after 15 days, the detailed judgment on the apex court’s decision to restore PTI to parliament had not been issued by the majority of judges on the bench.
Tarar remarked that PTI-backed independent lawmakers had joined a party not represented in parliament, questioning how such a party could secure any seats, given that seats are distributed proportionally.
He also mentioned that, under proportional representation rules, each political party is required to display its candidate lists for both women and minority seats.
Regarding the situation in Bangladesh, Tarar expressed solidarity with the government and people of Bangladesh, commending their determination and resilience against a corrupt regime.
In Pakistan, he noted, the PTI founding chairman compared himself to Sheikh Mujib, praising Mujib’s stance in 1971, which Pakistanis considered against ‘national interests’. However, he pointed out that PTI has since reversed its position, especially as statues of Sheikh Mujib have been taken down in Bangladesh.
