Bill barring independents from joining parties rushed through Parliament amid PTI opposition

Both houses of Parliament on Tuesday passed a bill seeking to bar independent lawmakers from joining a party after a stipulated period with the opposition PTI voicing a strong protest against it.

The bill, titled “Elections (Second Amendment) Act, 2024” has introduced amendments to the Elections Act 2017 and is being seen by political observers as a move to frustrate the Supreme Court’s July 12 ruling, which had declared the PTI eligible for reserved seats and also set it to re-emerge as the single largest party in the NA.