Senate passes ‘controversial’ bill to bar independents from joining parties

Islamabad: The Senate on Tuesday passed the Election Act Amendment Bill with a majority vote, despite protests from the opposition party PTI.

The session began with Yousuf Raza Gilani in the chair. PML-N Senator Talal Chaudhry presented the bill, prompting opposition members to protest.

The amendment states that candidates who don't submit a party certificate before getting an election symbol will be considered independent. If a party doesn't submit its list of candidates for reserved seats on time, it loses those seats. Additionally, a candidate's declaration of party affiliation will be final.

Earlier, the National Assembly also passed the bill amid opposition uproar. The session, chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, saw PML-N MNAs Bilal Azhar Kayani and Zeb Jaffar table the bill, leading to opposition protests.

Opposition members tore copies of the bill and shouted slogans. PTI's Ali Muhammad Khan and Sahibzada Sibghatullah of SIC proposed amendments, but both were rejected.

Ali Muhammad Khan called the amendment unconstitutional and vowed to challenge it in the Supreme Court. He accused the government of trying to undermine PTI's rights. Law Minister Azam Tarar defended the bill, stating its purpose is to clarify election laws.