LAHORE: Five PTI members of the Punjab Assembly (MPAs) on reserved seats took oath of their office on Thursday.

Provincial Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi administered the oath to three women and two minority MPAs at the assembly’s session. Those who took oath were Batool Zain, Saira Raza, Fauzia Abbas, Hubkook Rafique and Samuel Yaqub.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) yesterday notified five reserved seats of the PTI in the Punjab Assembly. On June 27, the Lahore High Court on PTI plea on June 27 ordered ECP to notify the party’s members on the Punjab Assembly’s five reserved seats that fell vacant following the de-seating of 25 PTI lawmakers over defection.

The ECP had stayed the notification of new MPAs on five seats of the Punjab Assembly reserved for women and minorities, saying the notification would be stayed until by-elections were held in the province on July 17 following which PTI members filed different petitions challenging the ECP’s decision to defer issuing notifications.