In case Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's MNAs tendered their resignations, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is ready to hold by-elections on the vacant constituencies, ECP officials told Business Recorder on Sunday.
The officials maintained that the commission requires 60 days for preparation for holding by-elections on those seats which were vacant by members of parliament or political party in the National and provincial assemblies. "Under the constitution, the ECP is bound to hold by-elections within 60 days after the issuance of de-notification of membership from parliament," they added.
The ECP already hold by-elections on 42 vacant seats of National and provincial assemblies after the general elections of 2013, they said.
Meanwhile, at a joint press conference here on Sunday, PTI leader Shireen Mazari ruled out any possibility of negotiated settlement with the government over long march.
She categorically said that the time for talks was over. Her party knocked every door for redressal of the issue of alleged rigging in the 2013 general election but justice was denied. She maintained that during one year, her party raised many important issues in parliament, but the government remained unmoved and did not pay attention to address these issues.
Doubting the intention of the government regarding electoral reforms, she said the PTI has a long history of efforts which were aimed to reforming the electoral system but those were thwarted by the Pakistan Muslim League-N government. "The present government has a fake public mandate, therefore, it has no intention to bring any change in the lives of the people through democratic means," Dr Mazari alleged.
Responding to a question, she said that PTI workers were undeterred by threats of Pervaiz Rashid and Chaudhry Nisar, adding that such threats boost the morale of workers. She said that workers would reach Islamabad on August 14.
On the occasion, another PTI leader, Asad Umer, said that the demand of electoral reforms raised by the PTI would help further strengthen the supremacy of parliament. He criticised the government for bulldozing their resolutions in the National Assembly demanding MNAs to declare their income for income tax purposes. "We took resolutions in the National Assembly six times asking the MNAs to declare their taxable income but the treasury benches did not take the demand seriously and referred the matter to the parliamentary committee," he added.