The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced that it will boycott the upcoming by-elections in constituencies of its members disqualified in the May 9 cases, declaring those lawmakers as the party’s “true representatives.” Several seats fell vacant after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified PTI legislators following their convictions in cases linked to the May 9 riots. According to the ECP schedule, by-polls will be held on September 18 in NA-66 Wazirabad, NA-129 Lahore-XIII, and PP-87 Mianwali-III. Polling in NA-143 Sahiwal-III, NA-185 DG Khan-II, PP-203 Sahiwal-VI, NA-96 Faisalabad-II, NA-104 Faisalabad-X, and PP-98 Faisalabad-I is set for October 5. Meanwhile, the ruling allies Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have announced they will field joint candidates in all constituencies. In a statement issued after a meeting of PTI’s political committee on Wednesday, the party said it viewed the disqualified members as victims of “political vendetta” and lauded their “sacrifices.” PTI reaffirmed its full support for the disqualified lawmakers and announced it would stay out of the by-elections as a mark of protest. The party also expressed strong reservations over the ongoing daily hearings of the Toshakhana case being conducted inside Adiala Jail. Would you like me to also make a short news-style version (like a crisp report for headlines) alongside this detailed one? The party said that such proceedings are a “violation of basic rights” and could undermine the “fairness of justice system.” It stressed that daily hearings not only disrupt legal representation but also place unnecessary pressure on the accused. Additionally, the committee announced that, on the instruction of PTI’s founding chairman, the party is resigning from the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), standing committees and chairmanships. However, the PTI’s top committee has decided that the party will contest the by-election in Lahore’s NA-129 constituency, which became vacant after the death of Hammad Azhar’s father, Mian Azhar. The PTI’s political committee thanked its founding chairman Imran Khan for showing complete trust in the committee and handing over future political decisions to the body for further consultation and strategy planning. Meanwhile, multiple PTI MNAs have submitted their resignations from various parliamentary committees. Faisal Amin Khan, brother of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, has resigned from all standing committees of the National Assembly. He stepped down from the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, the Standing Committee on National Food Security, and the Parliamentary Task Force on SDGs. His resignation was formally submitted to Chief Whip Amir Dogar. Another PTI MNA, Asif Khan, has resigned from the NA standing committees and sent his resignation to NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
PTI to boycott by-polls in constituencies of disqualified lawmakers
