Pakistan: References against dissident PTI MNAs dismissed

Islamabad: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has rejected the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) reference in which it sought the disqualification of its 20 dissident MNAs, on the grounds that they did not vote on the no-confidence resolution against then prime minister Imran Khan, The News reported on Thursday.

The three-member ECP bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, unanimously held that Article 63-A of the Constitution dealing with disqualification on the grounds of defection was not applicable in the case of 20 dissident MNAs.

The ECP also dismissed the PTI’s application for submitting more evidence and recording the statements of PTI leaders, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Asad Umar, submitted by the PTI’s counsel, who argued that the declaration had been made on the basis of information and material available with the party head, while adding that video clips, transcripts and statements of its witnesses, material were substantial pieces of evidence that would help the ECP reach a correct conclusion. He said that the commission had vast powers under the Constitution and law to summon any record or to call any witness for fair and just conclusion.