ECP decides to notify Imran Khan’s win on 7 NA seats

Verdict passed after PTI chief submits details of election expenses during polls in October 2022

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday agreed to certify Imran Khan’s victory in seven National Assembly constituencies won by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the by-elections held on October 16, 2022.

Imran had neglected to provide the specifics of the expenses he had expended in the by-elections, hence the ECP had previously reserved its judgement. The PTI leader failed to provide the required information regarding election expenses for the following seven seats: NA 22, NA 24, NA 31, NA 45, NA 108, NA 118, and NA 239.

The electoral watchdog must receive information about the polling place expenses three days after the election, under the statute. Several candidates have been disqualified in the past for not submitting details of election expenses and the Supreme Court had also barred the losing candidates from contesting the next election.

However, following the submission, the details of Imran Khan’s election expenses were approved and the ECP today issued a notification confirming Imran’s victory in all the seven seats he had won in the by-elections last year.

Out of the eight National Assembly seats previously held by the PTI, Imran had contested on seven, while Meher Bano Qureshi was to defend the party’s bastion in Multan. However, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) made inroads, with Hakeem Baloch winning in Karachi and Ali Musa Gilani in Multan.

Imran won the NA seats in Mardan, Charsadda, and Peshawar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; Faisalabad and Nankana Sahib in Punjab; and the Korangi district of Karachi in Sindh, according to the by-election results.