The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday ruled in favor of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, ordering the notification of his victory in by-elections for seven seats in the National Assembly that had fallen vacant after the resignations of seven PTI MNAs were accepted in July.
The results of the by-elections had been withheld over Khan’s failure to timely submit details of expenses incurred during the polls and non-compliance with the ECP’s orders. In today’s verdict, the ECP noted that Khan had subsequently submitted all the required details and could now be notified as having emerged victorious in the by-elections.
A five-member bench of the ECP, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja, announced the ruling, which had been reserved on Dec. 20.
The PTI chief had contested by-polls on eight of the nine seats vacated after National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf accepted the resignations of 11 PTI MNAs—nine on general seats and two on reserved seats for women—in July. He had contested by-polls in NA-22, NA-24, NA-31, NA-108, NA-118, NA-237, and NA-239 on Oct. 16, while the election for NA-45 had been held on Oct. 30. The ninth vacated seat, NA-157, had been contested for the PTI by Meharbano Qureshi, the daughter of party leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Khan had won all but one of the seats—NA-237—he contested. He lost in Malir-II (Karachi) to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)’s Hakeem Baloch, while Qureshi lost her seat to the PPP’s Musa Gilani, a son of party leader Yousaf Raza Gilani. However, the notification of his victory had been put off due to his failure to submit details of expenses incurred.
Under Pakistan’s election laws, every returning candidate is required to submit returns of their election expenses within five days of the polling date, with the ECP required to notify their victory after the submissions have been received. However, if a candidate fails to submit their returns, the ECP does not notify their victory.