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Imran Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), presented his nomination papers in each of the nine National Assembly seats that became empty after the NA speaker approved the resignations of 11 PTI legislators, including two seats designated for women.
The race would pit Imran Khan against the coalition government, upping the stakes of what would otherwise be deemed mundane by-elections, as the former premier had earlier declared he would run in all nine constituencies.
For the first time in the nation"s political history, a candidate is running for office while simultaneously representing nine constituencies, which may appear surprising. In addition to Karachi South, Imran will run concurrently in Mardan, Charsadda, Peshawar, Kuram, Faisalabad, Nankana, Malir, Korangi, and Karachi.
The procedure for the covering candidates" papers to be submitted in each of the nine constituencies has likewise been finished. Three candidates have been put forward for the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa reserved seat for women: Shandana Gulzar, Roheela Hamid, and Mehwish Ali Khan.
The election in these nine constituencies is scheduled to take place on September 25 in Pakistan, per the schedule released by the Election Commission of Pakistan. Imran would run in by-polls for nine vacant seats, according to PTI, which made the announcement hours after ECP announced elections on the open seats.
When the PTI chairman won five NA seats in 2018, he created history. Political heavyweights including PML-Saad N"s Rafique in Lahore (NA-131) and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in Islamabad have been trounced by Imran (NA-53). Additionally, he had won in Karachi"s NA-243, Bannu"s NA-35, and his home district in Mianwali (NA-95).
Following the departure of the party chief from the position of prime minister in April of this year, the ECP earlier accepted 11 of the 131 resignations submitted by PTI MNAs.
The candidates may submit their nomination papers between August 10 and August 13, and according to the ECP"s schedule, they will be confirmed by August 17 before the candidates receive their election emblems on August 29.
Exact 109 days after 11 PTI members announced their resignations from their seats, NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf approved their resignations on July 28.
According to Article 64 (1) of the Constitution, the NA speaker accepted the resignations of a number of significant PTI figures, including former human rights minister Shireen Mazari, former interior minister Ijaz Ahmed Shah, ex-state minister for parliamentary affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, and ex-state minister for information and broadcasting Farrukh Habib.
Fazal Muhammad Khan, Shaukat Ali, Fakhar Zaman Khan, Jamil Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Akram Cheema, Abdul Shakoor Shad, and Shandana Gulzar Khan are some of the other PTI MPs whose resignations have been accepted. On the designated seats for women from Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, respectively, Mazari and Shandana were chosen.