ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Thursday decided to declare Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, the winning candidate on all seven National Assembly (NA) seats he won in October 2022 by-elections.
Announcing the verdict, reserved by a three-member bench on December 20, 2022, the ECP stated that the former prime minister had submitted all details of the election expenses incurred during the by-elections.
The ECP had earlier taken notice of the PTI chief’s failure to submit the very details and ultimately withheld the notification of his victory.
In its verdict announced today, the electoral body said that it ignored the delay in the submission of the details of the expenses and directed officials to notify Khan as the winning candidate accepting the PTI plea.
In the last hearing, Khan’s counsel, Gohar Baloch, informed the ECP that the respondent had submitted the details along with vouchers.
He also argued that the delay in filing of return of election expenses was not intentional as the respondent got busy with the party affairs and was bedridden due to injuries he received in an armed attack.
The ECP order stated that applicants Shaukat Ali, Ijaz Ahmed Shah and Arshad Zaman Bangash also appeared in person on behalf of the respondent and submitted that the respondent was not able to provide details within time due to injuries and he is still on bed rest, therefore, any delay may be condoned keeping in view the medical situation of the respondent.
“The Commission by taking a lenient view accepts the applicants for condonation coupled with the verbal request of the Counsel of the respondent candidate and the rounds mentioned in the written reply, condones the delay and direct that notification of the returned candidate may be issued from all the constituencies from which he has emerged as [a] returned candidate as he has submitted the return of election expenses from all the constituencies and the application filed by Mr Ali Gohar Baloch is hereby dismissed as withdrawn,” the written order released by the ECP, a copy of which is available with The New.com, read.
According to the election laws, “Every returned candidate shall, within five days from the date of the election, submit return of election expenses in accordance with the provision of section 29.”
“On receipt of the returns of the election under sub-section (3) of section 24, the Commission shall publish in the official Gazette the names of the returned candidates: Provided that the name of a candidate shall not be published who fails to submit the return of election expenses as required by sub-section (3) of section 24."
It should be noted that Khan had emerged victorious on seven NA seats he contested last year. However, the notification of his victory on NA-31 Peshawar, NA-22 Mardan, NA-24 Charsadda, NA-108 Faisalabad-VIII, NA-118 Nankana Sahib-II, NA-239 Karachi-I, and NA-45 Kurram was not issued over violation of election rules.
These seats were vacated after the NA speaker accepted the resignations of nine PTI MNAs, who had tendered resignations en masse as the party policy.
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