ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday directedcandidates elected to multiple national or provincial assembly seats duringJuly 25 polls to resign from seats except the one they wish to retain.
A notification issued by the commission stated that as per Article 223 (3)of the Constitution, all candidates elected on multiple seats in thenational or provincial assemblies will have to tender their resignationsbefore they take the oath of membership for the assemblies.
The resignation shall be addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)and shall be delivered either in person or through authorised agent to theECP Secretariat, Islamabad or in the offices of provincial electioncommissioners Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, thenotification reads.
This means the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will lose six seats in theNational Assembly. PTI chief Imran Khan will vacate Bannu, Karachi, Lahoreand Islamabad seats, as he has decided to retain the Mianwali seat. PTI’sTahir Sadiq will have to choose between NA-55 and NA-56 Attock, whileGhulam Sarwar will have to opt between NA-59 and NA-63 Rawalpindi.
Also, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q will lose two seats — both NA seats wonby party leader Pervaiz Elahi, as he is the nominee for the Punjab Assemblyspeaker.
The first session of the National Assembly has been called on August 13.The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh assemblies will also holdtheir first sessions on August 13 while the Punjab Assembly’s first sessionwill be held on August 15.