Lahore HC issues notices against PTI's election win

Lahore [Pakistan]: As many as 69 members of Pakistan's National Assembly (MNAs) were on Friday issued notices by the Lahore High Court in connection with a petition challenging Prime Minister Imran Khan's election win.

The petition that was filed in court argues that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) August 17 win in the general elections was invalid as the 69 MNAs in question did not cast their votes, the Express Tribune reported.

PTI's Imran Khan prevailed over Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz's (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif to be elected as Pakistan's Prime Minister, however, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) members did not vote for any candidate.

Lahore High Court judge Shahid Waheed was told by the petitioner that voting for a Prime Ministerial candidate was compulsory for MNAs under section 91 (4) of Pakistan's Constitution.

"Members of aforementioned parties abstained from voting and failed to perform their function of participating in the establishment of the federal government. The chosen representatives of the people cannot abstain themselves from casting their votes. It was their constitutional duty to exercise their right to vote," the petitioner was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune.

The petitioner nominated the PPP and the JI as respondents and asked that the court declare that every MNA must perform their constitutional duty of voting for the post of the head of the house and the chief executive of the state.

The petitioner further asked the court to declare Khan's victory in the general elections as unconstitutional owing to the large number of MNAs refraining from voting.