ECP de-seats 25 dissident PTI MPAs who voted for PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz Sharif

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday de-seated 25 dissident Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPAs who voted for PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz Sharif in Punjab chief minister election, ARY News reported.

The election body had reserved its verdict on Tuesday on the disqualification reference of 25 dissident PTI MPAs of the Punjab Assembly.

Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had sent disqualification references against the deviant members.

ARY

 

[Extra_Cover]

Correct decision. Lets move the ball on elections now and put Pakistan's economy back on track.

 

[MenInG]

Correct decision. Lets move the ball on elections now and put Pakistan's economy back on track.

Surely same applies to national assembly?

 

[Extra_Cover]

Surely same applies to national assembly?

The dissidents in NA cannot be de-seated as mentioned by SC in their verdict earlier in the week. However, the important thing to note is that these dissidents in NA does not carry any voting right as their votes would not be counted.

If President asks for vote of confidence from Shahbaz Sharif today then Shahbaz needs 172 votes. Shahbaz at best can muster 174 votes of which there are many elements that would not vote for Shahbaz so its a matter of just 3 votes from which its widely anticipated that PMLQ will refrain from their 2 votes.

Elections are only way forward and these uncertainties are not.

 

[MenInG]

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday de-seated 25 MPAs of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for defying the party directives and voting for Hamza Shehbaz for the post of the Punjab chief minister.

The reference against the dissident lawmakers sent by Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi was accepted by the election watchdog for violating Article 63-A which pertains to defections.

The decision in the case was reserved by the ECP earlier this week after arguments were concluded in the case. It was supposed to announce the decision on Wednesday but for some reason, the commission had postponed the ruling.

The reference against 25 Punjab Assembly lawmakers was forwarded to the election watchdog by PA Speaker Pervaiz Elahi – himself a nominee for the CM post -- after the PTI approached the speaker against its dissident members.

During the hearing, the counsel for the dissident members of the provincial assembly had argued that the MPAs were unaware of the directions given by the parliamentary party about voting for Pervaiz Elahi for the slot of Punjab chief minister.

However, the PTI counsel had contested this claim. He had argued that the meeting of the parliamentary party was held on April 1, its decision was reported in the press the next day, that notices to all MPAs of the Punjab Assembly were issued on April 2 by the chief whip, and another notice was sent on April 4 by PTI General Secretary Asad Umar, that another meeting was held in April in which the same decision was taken, and that a notice was sent on April 7 for the third time.

The ECP’s decision is crucial in light of the Supreme Court’s order in Article 63-A presidential reference. The SC had opined that the votes of the defecting lawmakers would not be counted under Article 63-A.

The judgment had apparently dealt a fatal blow to the PML-N’s calculations in the country’s political heartland – Punjab – with the fate of the newly elected chief minister, Hamza Shahbaz, hanging in the balance, throwing the matter into a new period of uncertainty and seeding further confusion about the outcome.

It may be mentioned here that the election commission had rejected the reference filed against the PTI MNAs, who had decided to side with the opposition before its no-confidence motion against ex-PM Imran. The reference was dismissed.

Express Tribune

 

[MenInG]

Following the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision of de-seating 25 dissident members belonging to the PTI, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the decision does not affect the Punjab government.

The information minister criticised the PTI and said that the party Chairman Imran Khan was earlier hurling abuses at the commission and was asking his followers to attack its office, but now — after receiving a decision in his party's favour — he is all praises for the ECP.

She emphasised that the decision was "only for the 25 dissident PTI members".


GEO

 

[Bewal Express]

Following the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision of de-seating 25 dissident members belonging to the PTI, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the decision does not affect the Punjab government.

The information minister criticised the PTI and said that the party Chairman Imran Khan was earlier hurling abuses at the commission and was asking his followers to attack its office, but now — after receiving a decision in his party's favour — he is all praises for the ECP.

She emphasised that the decision was "only for the 25 dissident PTI members".


GEO

The ECP must have hurt as it followed the law and disqualified these corrupt lotas.

 

[MenInG]

PTI leader Asad Umer has said that the de-seated defecting PTI turncoats (lotay) are good for nothing after the ECP’s decision, ARY News reported.

Talking to media representatives in Islamabad, the former planning and development minister said that ECP’s decision has rolled back one segment of the Foreign conspiracy. The Punjab Assembly government ceased to exist after the ECP’s decision.

The PTI leader said that status-quo parties have turned politics into business by buying the loyalties of lawmakers and turning them into turncoats. Imran Khan has been fighting Jihad against these corrupt parties, he added.

Asad Umar added that the PML-N’s demand to call upon a National Security Committee’s (NSC) meeting to decide on fuel price rise is a joke. He demanded the PML-N leave the government and announce the date for fresh elections.

Also Read:ECP de-seats 25 dissident PTI Punjab MPAs

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday de-seated 25 dissident Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPAs who voted for PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz Sharif in Punjab chief minister election.

The dissident Punjab lawmakers include Abdul Aleem Khan, Nazir Ahmed Chohan, Uzma Kardar, Faisal Hayat, Raja Sagheer Ahmed, Malik Ghulam Rasool Sangha, Saeed Akbar Khan, Mohammad Ajmal, Mohammad Amin Zulqernain, Malik Nauman Langrial, Mohammad Salman, Zawar Hussain Warraich, Nazir Ahmed Khan, Fida Hussain, Zahra Batool, Mohammad Tahir, Aisha Nawaz, Sajida Yousaf, Haroon Imran Gill, Malik Asad Ali, Ijaz Masih, Mohammad Sabtain Raza, Mohsin Atta Khan Khosa, Mian Khalid Mehmood and Mehar Mohammad Aslam.

ARY

 

[Abstraction1]

Horse trading needs to stop.

These dissidents need to be tried in court. They out money and power over national interests

 

[sjahmed23]

Pakistanis are in love with their politics and consume it like its entertainment. People are going to die of hunger if these people dont get their act together FAST. Really pathetic to see this getting dragged for months like it's some sort of a netflix special. All of this is going to have consequences for the common man and the future generations. What is all this really achieving honestly I don't get it.

 

[Abstraction1]

Pakistanis are in love with their politics and consume it like its entertainment. People are going to die of hunger if these people dont get their act together FAST. Really pathetic to see this getting dragged for months like it's some sort of a netflix special. All of this is going to have consequences for the common man and the future generations. What is all this really achieving honestly I don't get it.

The people who are going to die are not important.

It's politica like this everywhere in the world. Those in power are a heirichay in and of themselves.

The same applies in the UK and US.

 

[MenInG]

LAHORE: Beleaguered Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz has refused to step down after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday de-seated 25 dissident lawmakers of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) who voted for him in the CM’s election, while the opposition PTI-PML-Q alliance sees a run-off election in the coming days claiming Hamza cannot “illegally” hold the office for long.

The allocation of five vacant reserved seats will assume an important role if the run-off election is held. Of the 25 de-seated PTI MPAs, five were elected on reserved seats. The ECP, according to legal experts, will now distribute these seats as per the current strength of each party in the Punjab Assembly — meaning if the PTI gets the most share it may be able to clinch the coveted chief minister’s post.

As Hamza has decided to follow in the footsteps of ousted prime minister Imran Khan to ‘play till the last ball’, the PTI says it will send the CM home through legal means in line with the apex court and ECP’s decisions.

“The game for the fake CM is over after de-seating of the 25 lotas (turncoats),” former federal minister Moonis Elahi of the PML-Q said and added that after losing the majority in the House, Hamza has no moral or legal grounds to cling to the office.


DAWN

 

[MenInG]

President Dr Arif Alvi has asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reconsider his advice about appointing a new governor of Punjab, as Omar Sarfraz Cheema still holds the office "and there is no occasion to propose a new appointment".

The president referred to his secretariat’s earlier communication dated May 9, and reiterated that “the Governor shall hold office during the pleasure of the President”, as envisaged by Article 101(2) of the Constitution."

He added that the present circumstances demanded that the incumbent governor should continue to hold that position.

The president also referenced the Punjab governor’s letter from April 23 as well as a report dated May 4. These highlighted "that the change in loyalties of the PTI members in the Punjab Assembly’s chief minister election, and the cobbling of the majority by illegal means had generated serious governance issues in the province as well as violated the Article 63-A of the Constitution."

The president further emphasised that the principled stand of the current Punjab governor had been vindicated by the recent pronouncement of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, on Reference No. 1 of 2022, moved by the president of Pakistan.

He underscored that the governor's stance was further augmented by the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which declared the defection and changing of loyalties by the 25 Punjab MPAs in the election for Punjab chief as the “worst form of betraying the electorate and party’s policy”.

He added that the 25 defecting MPAs had ceased to be members of the Punjab Assembly, as per ECP’s decision.

In view of the courts’ decisions, President Alvi asked the premier to reconsider his advice about the appointment of a new Punjab governor in accordance with Article 48(1) of the Constitution.

IHC forms larger bench

A day earlier, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) dismissed the Registrar Office's objections in the petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Omar Sarfraz Cheema against his removal as Punjab governor.

The high court constituted a larger bench which will be presided over by Chief Justice Athar Minallah.

Petitioner's counsel Babar Awan argued over the objections raised by the Registrar's Office, stating that the office raised two objections. The lawyer stated that the first objection raised was regarding attaching a WhatsApp copy of the governor being de-notified from his post.

“We were actually not provided a copy of the dismissal notification,” Awan argued.

The second objection raised was concerning the jurisdiction of the court, as the Assistant Registrar Asad Khan stated that the matter belonged to Punjab.

The chief justice remarked that the de-notification process was done by the federation, adding that the president's powers, and where they are binding on him have already been made clear.

However, the counsel argued that the authority of the president is one thing and his functions another.

In response, CJ Minallah stated that the government functions on a parliamentary system and not a presidential system of government. “This issue came up when you were the law minister and it has been decided on,” he added.

Cheema's plea

In the petition, filed through lawyer Babar Awan, Cheema maintained that the governor was the representative of the president in the province and not part of the executive.

The governor could remain in office for as long as the president pleased, the plea stated.

The petition claimed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had illegally removed him from office to benefit his son, Hamza. Cheema challenged the notification of his removal from office, saying that it was issued without any authority.

Express Tribune

 

[Sher Khan]

Give Hamza Shehbaz a proper go as the CM. I bet in one year he will get done much more than Buzdar did in 4 years for Punjab.

 

[DRsohail]

Give Hamza Shehbaz a proper go as the CM. I bet in one year he will get done much more than Buzdar did in 4 years for Punjab.

hahah he will surely try to get rid of his own cases.

 

[Bewal Express]

Give Hamza Shehbaz a proper go as the CM. I bet in one year he will get done much more than Buzdar did in 4 years for Punjab.

His dad has hardly uprooted any trees in 30. Not hospital built that is good enough to treat the family but on a positive note, billions in the accounts of Chaprasi wala, so I guess its not all bad

 

[silentkiller187]

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced on Wednesday that the by-polls on the 20 vacant seats of Punjab Assembly will be held on July 17, Geo News reported.

The nomination papers for the candidates will be accepted from June 4 to 7, and they will be scrutinised on June 11. The election tribunal will decide on the appeals by June 21, while nomination papers can be withdrawn by June 23.

By-elections will be held on PP-7, PP-83, PP-90, PP-97, PP-125, PP-127, PP-140, PP-158, PP-167, PP-168, PP-170, PP-202, PP-217, PP-224, PP-228, PP-237, PP-272, PP-273, PP-282 Layyah and PP-288.

The date for the by-elections comes after the ECP on Monday de-notified the 25 PTI MPAs that it had de-seated over defection from the party for voting in favour of Hamza Shehbaz in the chief minister election.

The decision to de-seat the 25 PTI dissidents came during the announcement of the verdict in a case pertaining to the dissident members of the Punjab Assembly (MPAs).

Earlier, the ECP had issued official notifications for the cancellation of the dissidents' election from respective constituencies of Punjab and seats reserved for women and non-Muslims.

"Pursuant to the Order dated the 20" May, 2022 passed by the Election Commission of Pakistan in case No. 13(1)/2022-Law, upon confirmation of the declarations under Article 63A(1)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Election Commission of Pakistan hereby de notify the following members Provincial Assembly of Punjab from the respective Constituencies, seats reserved for women, and non-Muslims in terms of Article 63A(4) of the Constitution," the notifications read.

As many as 20 out of 25 dissidents were elected from different constituencies, three were elected on seats reserved for women and two were elected on seats reserved for non-Muslims.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/418888-pti-announces-polls-for-defecting-members-vacant-seats

 

[MenInG]

Beleaguered Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz and the Jahangir Khan Tareen group on Friday decided to move the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision that de-seated 25 dissident lawmakers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf who defected in the CM’s election.

The decision to head to the top court was taken during a meeting Punjab CM Hamza held with the members of the disgruntled faction of the PTI, party sources revealed. Former lawmakers of the Punjab Assembly who were de-notified by the ECP earlier this month were also in attendance.

The sources added that in order to salvage the uncertain political future of the disqualified lawmakers, the two sides deliberated upon ways in which legal nuts and bolts could be tapped into, particularly the observations made by the CJP during the hearings of presidential reference on the interpretation of Article 63-A.

The de-seated MPAs belonging to Jahangir Tareen, who feel aggrieved by the ECP’s decision, were of the view that the decision of the electoral watchdog was arbitrary in nature, underscoring that the apex court had held a completely different opinion in the matter.

“Most of the members in the Tareen group had won the election as independents,” Faisal Hayat Jabboana, dissident PTI member of the Tareen group, said.

Meanwhile, observers point out that in case the PML-N decides to go to a fresh election, the allocation of five vacant reserved seats will assume an important role. Of the 25 de-seated PTI MPAs, five were elected on reserved seats, which would be distributed among parties on the basis of their current strength in the PA.

The Punjab Assembly’s current strength is 346 members: the PTI has 158 lawmakers, its ally PML-Q 10, the PML-N 165, PPP seven, five independents and one Rah-i-Haq Party.

The ECP’s verdict, following the apex court’s majority opinion on defection, had thrown the fate of the newly elected chief minister Hamza Shehbaz, who clinched the power by peeling off lawmakers from the PTI, into a new chapter of uncertainty.

It is pertinent to recall that earlier on Monday, the PTI had approached the ECP to stop Hamza Shehbaz from working as the Punjab chief minister after the poll supervisor de-seated 25 dissident members of the Punjab Assembly.

“Deciding on the reference, the election commission has terminated the membership of 25 dissident members,” PTI’s counsel Faisal Chaudhry wrote in a letter to the CEC. “Hamza Shahbaz has lost the majority in the Punjab Assembly after the decision of the election commission,” it added.

DAWN