Pakistan’s National Assembly passes Bill restricting independent lawmakers from joining other parties

Pakistan's National Assembly passes Bill restricting independent lawmakers from joining parties, sparking strong opposition from Imran Khan's party.

Pakistan's National Assembly on Tuesday (August 6, 2024) passed a Bill seeking to bar independent lawmakers from joining a party after a stipulated period, with the jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party voicing a strong protest against it.

The Election Act Amendment Bill 2024 was moved by ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members Bilal Kayani and Zeb Jafar and passed by the National Assembly with a majority vote despite protest by opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The amendment changed Sections 66 and 104 of the Elections Act 2017, restricting independent candidates from joining political parties after a constitutionally and legally defined period.

It states that parties failing to submit a list of reserved seats within the specified period will not be eligible for those seats.

It further stipulates that candidates who do not submit an affidavit of party affiliation to the returning officer will be considered independent, and their declaration of party affiliation after elections will not be recognised.

When the Bill was taken up for voting, the opposition members stood on their seats and started protesting and sloganeering. They came in front of the Speaker’s dais, tore copies of the bill, and raised slogans “Bill Rejected” and “Attack on Judiciary and Democracy Rejected” and decried the government.

PTI’s Ali Muhammad Khan proposed an amendment to the Election Act, which was rejected by the house when Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar opposed it.