ECP rejects reference against PTI defecting MNAs

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Wednesday rejected the PTI’s reference against its defecting members of the National Assembly, ARY News reported.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja read the verdict, which was earlier reserved by the election commission’s three-member panel.

“No substantial evidence given against defecting members in the reference,” according to the decision.

Deputy Speaker National Assembly had sent a reference to the election commission seeking disqualification of 20 members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected the PTI’s plea seeking to submit more material with the reference.

A three-member panel of the ECP headed by Chief Election Commission Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the case.

The counsel for the dissident members had objected over the PTI’s petition for adding more material with the reference.

“I will file appeal against the election commission’s decision,” PTI’s counsel Faisal Chaudhry said while seeking the copy of the election commission decision.

“In absence of the evidence I feel myself incapable. It seems we are not necessary. Some things were not come to the record in actual sense,” Faisal Chaudhry said.

“My case has become prejudiced,” PTI counsel added.

The commission reserved its verdict over the disqualification reference of the PTI’s defecting members of the National Assembly.

Read more: FAWAD CHAUDHRY SAYS PTI MOVING AGAINST ECP IN SJC

The three-member bench will announce its verdict at 3:00PM today.

Yesterday deviant assembly members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)submitted their written replies to the election commission in a reference, seeking their disqualification.

PTI lawyer Faisal Chaudhry took a stand to respond and asked for more material in the case, to which the Chief Election Commissioner questioned whether the material was not attached with the reference.

Faisal Chaudhry said that no reply has been submitted by Amir Liaquat, now the commission is a tribunal, how can it function without evidence.

The counsel for the dissident members objected to further material and asked to decide on the admissibility of the reference first.

When the Chief Election Commissioner asked the reason for not submitting evidence with reference, Faisal Chaudhry said that the evidence was not for the members but for the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The CEC said that he would decide on the admissibility of the reference first.

Meanwhile, Deviant members of the Punjab Assembly submitted reply to the ECP while PTI lawyers requested to suspend the membership of 25 members of the Punjab Assembly.