PTI-backed independents to join Sunni Ittehad Council

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has said party-backed successful independents would join Sunni Ittehad Council as a party.

“Our candidates have submitted their affidavits with us and with their consent today we are announcing that PTI-supported independents are joining the Sunni Ittehad Council,” he said.

The announcement was made in a joint presses featuring PTI and SIC leadership in Islamabad.

He once again claimed that PTI had secured 180 NA seats in the recently concluded General Elections.

Barrister Gohar said all the independent candidates contested the polls on the tickets of the PTI and were supported by the party.

“Thankfully, they have won in a big number in all provinces […] of these only three have been notified yet,” he highlighted.

Barrister Gohar said that as per the law, independents were supposed to join a political party within three days.

Gohar said that both parties reached a “formal agreement” and the same would be submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan today (Monday).

“You know that there are 70 reserved seats in the National Assembly and there are 227 reserved seats in the entire country. These seats are only provided to political parties.

“Therefore, to protect our reserved seats and provide the cover to our members, we have reached a formal agreement under which all our candidates have joined the party and we will present this documentation before the ECP,” he said.

Gohar said a request will also be filed in the ECP regarding the allocation of reserved seats as per the party strength and law.

Alliance to strengthen PTI

PTI’s candidate for Prime Minister Omer Ayub Khan has said his party wants unity in the country and therefore party-backed candidates have decided to join the SIC in the Centre and all provinces.

“Coming together with the Sunni Ittehad Council would increase the PTI’s strength in the National Assembly,” he said.

He said that PTI had demanded that party-supported candidates should be declared “returned candidates”.

“We had also said that the MQM-P stole PTI’s mandate in Karachi and Hyderabad,” he claimed, adding that a similar case also persisted in Peshawar.

Ayub added that after joining them, the PTI would form governments.

“Our first job would be to set free Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Parvez Elahi and all our senior leadership,” he vowed.