PTI top brass summoned in intra-party elections case

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) top leadership after raising further objections to recently-held intra-party elections, ARY News reported on Friday.

The electoral watchdog has issued a notice to Imran Khan-founded party and summoned PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Raoof Hasan, who was the election commissioner in party’s intra-party polls, on May 30.

The notice seeks PTI’s response to the commission’s inquiry into the internal electoral process. The election commission had already sent a detailed questionnaire to PTI, seeking information about the party’s intra-party elections.

Earlier in May, the ECP raised further objections to PTI intra-party elections, questioning the party’s status after ‘losing organisational structure’.

On December 22, 2023, the ECP stripped the PTI of its election symbol due to irregularities in its intra-party elections. The Supreme Court later upheld the ECP order, forcing the party to field its candidates as independents in the Feb 8 general elections.

After the general elections, the party once again conducted its intra-party elections on March 3. The party now demands that the ECP issue its notification.

However, the ECP has once again raised objections to the new party polls and sent a two-page questionnaire to the Imran-founded party.

The electoral watchdog questioned the current “status” of the PTI as a political party, noting that the party did not hold intra-party elections within five years, in accordance with Section 208(1). “Hence, it lost its organisational structure on lapsing of five years,” it stated.

The ECP also questioned why not to start the delisting process of the former ruling party’s registration and imposing a fine for not holding timely intra-party elections.

Section 208(5) reads, “Where a political party fails to conduct intra-party elections as per given time frame in their constitution, a show-cause notice shall be issued to such political party and if the party fails to comply, then the Commission shall impose fine which may extend to Rs200,000 but shall not be less than Rs100,000.”

It also questioned the legality of the party’s chief organiser and federal election commissioner appointed by its General Body, while the PTI’s constitution defines appointments on the former position via its National Council on recommendations of the Chief Executive Committee (CEC).

According to the ECP, a political party would be registered in accordance with the old law under the Election Act if it submits certificates within a week after intra-party polls, besides complete records of elected office-bearers, poll data and results. Moreover, it also requires to submit relevant documents in 60 days under the Election Act.

The electoral watchdog also asked the PTI why not to commence its delisting process for not submitting the documents as per the prescribed law.

The commission asked the PTI leadership to submit its response to the observations to proceed further in accordance with the law.