- ECP had taken notice of Imran Khan’s failure to submit details of election expenses.
- Verdict was reserved last month.
- Every candidate has to submit details within five days of election date.
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday ruled to declare PTI Chairman Imran Khan as the winning candidate from all the constituencies he won during October’s by-elections.
A three-member bench of the Election Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja, announced the verdict it had reserved last month.
The ECP had taken notice of the PTI chief’s failure to submit the details of election expenses within the stipulated time.
The PTI chief had contested by-polls on six seats — NA-22, NA-24, NA-31, NA-108, NA-118, and NA-239 — on October 16 while the by-election on NA-45 was held on October 30.
The verdict stated that Imran Khan had submitted the required details to the electoral body after which it decided to notify him as the winning candidate on all the seven National Assembly seats.
According to the election laws, “Every returned candidate shall, within five days from the date of the election, submit return of election expenses in accordance with the provision of section 29.”
“On receipt of the returns of the election under sub-section (3) of section 24, the Commission shall publish in the official Gazette the names of the returned candidates: Provided that the name of a candidate shall not be published who fails to submit the return of election expenses as required by sub-section (3) of section 24.”
The by-polls were conducted on nine NA seats that fell vacant after the National Assembly speaker accepted the resignations of PTI MNAs, who had tendered resignations en masse as per party policy.
