MULTAN: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Monday announced that it was boycotting the by-election for NA-149 (Multan-II), a seat that fell vacant after Javed Hashmi’s resignation and its subsequent acceptance.

PTI’s senior leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, through a statement, announced that his party will not be contesting by-elections for the seat.

Hashmi’s resignation from NA-149 was accepted when he made an appearance in the National Assembly following his address to the press where he made “disclosures” regarding the PTI leadership’s allegedly anti-democracy designs.

Hashmi had distanced himself from the protest sit-ins organised by PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek in Islamabad when the two parties decided to mount a march on the official residence of the prime minister.

Also read: Profile: Javed Hashmi, the perennial rebel

Hashmi may again contending for the seat for which only one independent candidate has filed nomination papers so far. September 22 (tomorrow) is the last date for filing nominations and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is also likely to field a candidate for the seat.

The by-election for NA-149 is scheduled to be held on October 16.