Plea in SC against Imran Khan's contesting nine NA seats

ISLAMABAD: A petitioner has challenged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s contesting elections on nine vacant seats of the National Assembly in the Supreme Court, ARY News reported on Monday.

Petitioner, Mian Asif Mehmood has filed a plea in the apex court against Imran Khan’s contesting elections from nine constituencies of the lower house of the Parliament.

In petition Imran Khan and the Election Commission of Pakistan have been made respondents.

“Imran Khan contesting election from nine NA constituencies, while he had earlier resigned from the lower house and boycotted the assembly,” according to the petition.

“If he won all nine seats, he will be entitled to keep one of these seats, while another by election will be required for the remaining eight seats,” he pleaded.

“Fighting for nine seats is a malicious act and against the constitution” he said.

Petitioner sought the court order to prevent the PTI chairman from contesting polls from nine National Assembly seats.

Earlier in August, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had dismissed similar petition challenging Imran Khan’s decision to contest elections on all nine vacant seats of the legislature.

Justice Shahid Jamil Khan while hearing the plea had asked whether the nomination papers had been submitted to the election commission. To which the counsel representing the petitioner had replied in negative.

Terming the matter ‘premature’, the court had said the petitioner should wait until the submission of the nomination papers and then file his objection with the ECP first and then approach the courts.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan is contesting by-polls from all nine seats, vacated after the NA speaker accepted PTI MNAs’ resignations.