New Delhi: Pakistan is currently in financial ruin. Its economy has collapsed. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Imran Khan (Former PM Imran Khan) is planning to contest all 33 parliamentary seats in the by-elections to be held in March. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), by-elections for 33 National Assembly seats will be held on March 16. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vice-chairman and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Sunday evening that the decision was taken during the party’s core committee meeting.
Qureshi said that Imran Khan will be the only candidate of PTI in all 33 parliamentary seats. The decision was taken at the party’s core committee meeting chaired by Khan at Zaman Park Lahore on Sunday. Imran Khan’s party left the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistan’s parliament, en masse. However, Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf did not accept the resignations and said that he needs to personally verify whether all are resigning of their own free will. Then last month, the Speaker accepted the resignation of 35 PTI MPs, after which the ECP de-notified them. ECP has not yet de-notified 43 PTI MPs. If the Election Commission de-notifies the remaining 43 PTI MPs, Khan’s party will be virtually wiped out from the National Assembly.
Qureshi said that people had supported PTI even during the July 17 by-elections and the party hoped that people would once again show their faith in Imran Khan through their votes on March 16. Qureshi said that it is mandatory for the ECP to hold elections within 90 days of seats becoming vacant and it would be a violation of the Constitution if the elections are not held on time. The PTI leader said he was not in touch with the establishment.
In October last year, the Speaker had accepted the resignations of 11 PTI MPs. After this, Imran Khan contested on 8 parliamentary seats, out of which he won six seats. A federal alliance of nine parties (Pakistan Democratic Movement PDM) has said it cannot contest the by-election. PTI can capture all the seats without any problem if PDM sticks to its decision.