NA proposes bill to limit independent candidates’ party affiliation

The National Assembly proposed the Elections Act 2024 Second Amendment Bill, which forbids independent candidates from joining another political party after a predetermined amount of time.

The bill was presented by PML-N member Bilal Kayani during the session, which Speaker Ayaz Sadiq presided. The Elections Act of 2017’s Sections 66 and 104, which prohibit independent candidates from joining political parties beyond a legally and constitutionally specified term, are to be changed by the proposed modification.

According to the draft, independent candidates should not be permitted to join a political party within the allotted period. It further specifies that parties will not be eligible for such seats if they do not submit a list of reserved seats within the allotted time.

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The measure further stipulates that candidates should be deemed independent if they fail to provide the returning officer with an affidavit attesting to their party affiliation. It will be retrospectively enforced that the second amendment to the Elections Act 2017 would apply to candidates who declare their party affiliation after the election.

Speaker Sadiq acted on the law minister’s recommendation to submit the measure to the standing committee, giving the committee chairman instructions to call a hearing for the next day.

The Pakistan National Excellence Institute Bill 2024 was also approved at the meeting. The Sunni Ittehad Council’s Amjad Ali Khan introduced a measure that would make forced disappearances illegal; the bill was also sent to the standing committee.