ISLAMABAD:
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reinstated Adil Khan Bazai as Member of National Assembly (MNA) following an order by the Supreme Court. The ECP issued a notification in this regard on Tuesday.
According to the notification, Bazai will now be considered an independent member of the National Assembly, instead of being affiliated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Accordingly, the ECP also canceled the by-election for NA-262 constituency in Quetta.
Bazai, who won the NA-262 seat as an independent candidate, initially filed an affidavit to join the PML-N.
However, he later changed his allegiance, according to the PML-N, and joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), a group of independent candidates backed by the PTI. Bazai claimed that the affidavit declaring his affiliation with the PML-N was false.
In response, the ECP removed him on November 21 under the Electoral Law of 2017. Bazai subsequently challenged the ECP’s decision before the Supreme Court, which stayed the ruling on December 9.
