The decision, released yesterday, followed the Supreme Court in its interpretation of Article 63 and de-seated 25 dissident MPAs of the PTI who voted for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s Hamza Shehbaz in the election for Punjab chief minister. However, not unlike the Supreme Court verdict, this decision of the ECP may have given way to more questions than answers now. Confusion resides upon what the makeup of the Punjab Assembly is to be, and who holds the posts of power. PML-N insists that the ECP’s decision will not affect the Punjab government, which consists of allies and the PML-N, and believes that the chief ministership of Hamza Shehbaz will remain intact. It appears elections are the only answer, but more than 20 by-elections in Punjab will be an expensive, time-consuming and chaotic process, considering the violence we have seen in recent by-elections.

Source: The Nation May 21, 2022 09:20 UTC