By-elections process suspended on 24 NA seats in compliance with PHC orders

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Sunday announced that the electoral process on 24 national assembly seats will be suspended in compliance with the orders of the Peshawar High Court (PHC).

The decision has been taken after the PHC directed the ECP to halt the election process in these constituencies.

The constituencies were previously scheduled to hold elections on March 16 and 19, respectively. The PHC had suspended the notification of the election programme on the writ petition filed by 24 former MNAs from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They had challenged the acceptance of their resignations by the National Assembly speaker and their subsequent de-notification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The constituencies affected by this suspension include NA-2 Swat, NA-3 Swat, NA-4 Swat, NA-5 Upper Dir, NA-6 Lower Dir, NA-7 Lower Dir, NA-8 Malakand, NA- 9 Buner, NA 16 Abbottabad, NA-17 Haripur, NA-18 Swabi, NA 19, NA 20 Mardan, NA 25 Nowshera, NA-26 Nowshera, NA 28 Peshawar, NA 30 Peshawar, NA-32 Kohat, NA 34 Karak, NA-38 DI Khan, NA 40 Bajaur, NA 42 Mohmand, NA-43 Khyber and NA 44 Khyber.