The bill, introduced by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) member Bilal Azhar Kiyani last month, had previously gained approval from the NA Parliamentary Affairs Committee.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-August 6th, 2024) The National Assembly on Tuesday approved a bill amending the Elections Act 2017 to prevent lawmakers from changing their party affiliation after their initial election.
The bill, introduced by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) member Bilal Azhar Kiyani last month, had previously gained approval from the NA Parliamentary Affairs Committee.
The committee passed the bill with support from eight members, four opposed it, and Shahid Akhtar of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) abstained from voting.
Once enacted, pending approval from the Senate and the president, the legislation would bar individuals who ran as independent candidates from later declaring affiliation with any political party.
This bill could potentially impact the return of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to parliament, following the Supreme Court’s July 12 ruling that had restored the party's eligibility for reserved seats and recognized it as a parliamentary party—status it had lost before the February 8 elections.
Ali Mohammad Khan, the PTI leader, opposed the bill, saying that they would approach the court against approval, of the bill.
“The Supreme Court had ruled that the PTI is and will remain a political party,” said Ali Mohammad Khan.
He said, “We will go to the court against this law,”.
Barrister Gohar Khan, the PTI chairman, said that the legislation must be done but it should be in the interest of the nation.
The opposition continued to stage protest during the proceeding of the house for approval of the bill.
