ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has suspended the programme for by-elections on three of the six National Assembly seats that were scheduled on the 30th of this month, on the order of Peshawar High Court (PHC).

A notification issued to this effect by the electoral body on Thursday said that pursuant to the order dated April 4, 2023, passed by the PHC, the ECP suspended its election programme, issued on March 8, till further orders of PHC.

Consequently, the by-elections programme has been suspended for NA-22 Mardan, NA-24 Charsadda and NA-31 Peshawar that fall in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had moved Islamabad High Court (IHC) and PHC against acceptance of the resignations of its lawmakers by Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf.

In October last year, PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan contested by-elections on eight NA seats and won seven of them; NA-22 Mardan, NA-24 Charsadda, NA-31 Peshawar, NA-108 Faisalabad, NA-118 Nankana Sahib, NA-239 Korangi and NA-45 Kurram.

Barring Kurram seat that was retained by Khan, the electoral body issued by-poll schedule for the remaining six seats on March 8 before the PHC suspended the by-elections programme for three NA seats falling in KP.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023