Imran Khan moves SC against PTI members' defection; seeks life ban on them

Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan approached the Supreme Court on Thursday seeking disqualification of dissident Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf members of the National Assembly. In the petition, filed under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, he listed the Election Commission of Pakistan, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Law Secretary, and the Cabinet Secretary as parties, IANS reported.

According to Article 184(3), for the apex court to have jurisdiction on a matter, the matter needs to be of public importance and a violation of fundamental rights mentioned in the Constitution, IANS quotes the Express Tribune.

Imran's petition requested the court to disqualify the dissident PTI members from the parliamentary affairs for life. If any member wants to leave the party, they must resign as members of the National Assembly first, instead of "committing defection as provided in Article 63-A of the Constitution by changing his loyalty in favour of another political party actuated by hidden motive" Imran demanded.

Imran contented that shifting loyalties meant that the individual was no longer "sadiq and amin (truthful and honest)". His petition then demanded the PTI member's votes cast against him must be invalidated.

The petition read, "being an elected representative (it) is constitutionally prohibited and morally reprehensible to refrain from the act of defection (against their parliamentary party), and the member cannot claim a vested right to have his vote counted... and such tainted votes are to be excluded from the vote count. This honourable court has observed in many cases that defection or floor crossing is nothing short of a disease of cancer to the entire body of politics, and it destroys the spirit of democratic governance," it said and added that thus the lifetime ban would be justified.