ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill that will make it illegal for legislators to switch parties, amending the Elections Act of 2017. The bill was met with fierce opposition from benches that called the legislation “unconstitutional.”
The measure was introduced by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) legislator Bilal Azhar Kiyani last month. It was adopted by the NA Parliamentary Affairs Committee with eight votes in favor and four votes against. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) MNA Shahid Akhtar did not participate in the vote.
After the Senate approves it and the president signs it into law, the law will prohibit candidates who ran as independents in the general election from later amending their affidavit to reflect their connection with a different political party.Once enacted into law, the bill could undo the PTI’s return to parliament, which was prompted by its “resurrection” in the assembly after the Supreme Court’s July 12 verdict that the party founded by Imran Khan was entitled to reserved seats.
