Stay on Mianwali by-elections is extended by IHC.
Since Imran Khan lost his NA-95 seat due to the Toshakhana scandal, nobody has been elected to fill it.
After Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was disqualified in the Toshakhana matter, the NA-95 Mianwali seat became vacant. On Friday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) extended its stay on holding by-elections in the district.
The court mentioned the “case is being delayed for unknown reasons” during today’s session. Ali Zafar, a barrister, spoke on behalf of the party that had been in power previously.
He said the Lahore High Court (LHC) had convened a full bench to hear the matter.
Zafar stated that the “case is probably scheduled for May 19 in Lahore” when the court questioned about the next hearing in the LHC.
The chief judge of the IHC went on to note that the ECP had requested a postponement of proceedings today.
The court agreed with the ECP and postponed the case until May 11.
The PTI president has also gone to the LHC to appeal the disqualification ruling in the Toshakhana case and has asked the IHC to dismiss a similar plea.
After the ECP disqualified PTI chairman Imran under Article 63(1)(p) for making “false statements and incorrect declaration” regarding gifts received from foreign dignitaries during his term as prime minister, protests broke out in several cities across Pakistan in October 2022, leading to the IHC blocking the ECP from holding by-elections in Imran’s Mianwali seat.
This means Road Imran is out as well.
On October 25, the electoral commission postponed notice of Imran Khan’s win on six National Assembly seats he won in by-elections on October 16, 2022, and also removed him as an MNA from his home district of Mianwali.
The ECP de-notified the ex-prime minister from his six NA seats on the same day, February 24.
After Imran Khan became prime minister on August 18, 2018, he kept his seat in the National Assembly from NA-95 Mianwali, therefore the ECP appealed the judgment and the IHC blocked elections from being held there.
