ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan will be the only Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate to contest the by-elections in nine National Assembly constituencies scheduled to take place on September 25, his party said on Friday.
The National Assembly speaker accepted the resignations of 11 PTI lawmakers on July 28, nine of whom had been elected on general seats.
Khan’s party also objected to the speaker’s decision, saying it was not right for him to accept the resignations in small batches when more than 120 of its lawmakers had announced to quit the assembly in April.
“Chairman Imran Khan will contest from all seats in the by-elections which will be held on September 25 in nine National Assembly constituencies,” said the PTI in a Twitter post.
Earlier this year, Khan was driven out of power in a no-confidence vote after he lost his parliamentary majority.
Since then, he has held public rallies in different parts of the country to mobilize his workers and supporters.
Khan has also been calling for early elections in Pakistan to address the growing political and economic uncertainty in the country, though the ruling coalition has repeatedly said it would complete its term in the office.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced by-elections on the nine National Assembly seats on Friday. It also said it had published the final delimitation list for 266 and 593 national and provincial assembly constituencies.
The development satisfies a major legal and procedural requirement for holding the next general elections in the country.
