Islamabad: A confidential letter written by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has surfaced. The letter revealing the Commission’s decision to reject the joining of seven newly elected senators from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into PTI.
According to the letter, the ECP stated that PTI’s intra-party election case is still pending before the ECP. It further noted that the Lahore High Court’s stay order on matters related to the party’s internal elections remains in effect, preventing the Commission from taking any decision regarding PTI’s chairmanship.
The ECP clarified that, under the current legal circumstances, it does not recognize Barrister Gohar as the party chairman. “You do not hold any legal entitlement in this regard,” the Commission wrote in its letter. The development has added a new layer of complexity to PTI’s ongoing internal and legal challenges. As the status of its leadership and elected representatives remains unresolved within the legal framework.
The ECP has rejected the formal joining of five independent senators elected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) who had announced they were joining PTI. These senators are Azam Swati, Faisal Javed, Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Rubina Naz, and Mirza Afridi had submitted affidavits to Barrister Gohar confirming their decision. PTI publicly claimed this strengthened its presence in the Senate.
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