The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday clarified that PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s nomination for the NA-108 (Faisalabad) by-election was rejected due to “insufficient details regarding his assets” and not because of any issues with his signatures.
A statement from the office of the Punjab election commissioner confirmed that the returning officer rejected the nomination. “Imran Khan’s nomination papers were not rejected due to signature verification issue. Imran Khan’s nomination papers were rejected due to insufficient details of assets,” the statement quoted the returning officer as explaining the decision’s rationale.
The National Assembly speaker had on July 28 accepted the resignations of 11 MNAs – nine on general seats and two on reserved seats for women – belonging to the PTI, triggering recriminations from the party for the “piecemeal” acceptance, as well as a legal battle in the Islamabad High Court. The MNAs were denotified on July 30. The PTI lawmakers were among the more than 100 who resigned en masse on April 11, two days after Imran was ousted as the prime minister in a no-confidence vote.
