The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday extended its stay on holding by-polls in NA-95 Mianwali after the seat fell vacant following Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s disqualification in the Toshakhana reference. During the hearing, the court remarked that the “case is being delayed for unknown reasons”. The former ruling party was represented by Barrister Ali Zafar.
He stated that the case is being heard before the full bench in the Lahore High Court (LHC). The court then inquired about the date of the next hearing in the LHC, to which Zafar replied that the “case is probably scheduled for May 19 in Lahore”. The IHC chief justice then remarked that the request for adjournment has come today from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Accepting the ECP’s request, the court adjourned the hearing of the case till May 11. It is pertinent to note that the PTI chief has also challenged the decision of disqualification in the Toshakhana case in the LHC and has approached the IHC to withdraw a similar petition.
In October 2022, IHC barred the ECP from holding by-polls in Imran’s Mianwali seat after the electoral watchdog disqualified the PTI chairman under Article 63(1)(p) for making “false statements and incorrect declaration” with regard to gifts received from foreign dignitaries during his term as the prime minister, triggering protests in various cities.
The electoral body on October 25 withheld the notification of Imran Khan’s victory on six National Assembly seats-that he won in October 16, 2022 by-elections-while de-seating him as a Member National Assembly (MNA) from his hometown of Mianwali. On February 24, the ECP also de-notified the former prime minister from the six NA seats. The former prime minister later moved the IHC against the ECP’s decision and the court restrained the polls supervisory authority from conducting election at NA-95 Mianwali, the National Assembly seat that Imran Khan had retained after becoming prime minister in August 18, 2018.
