ISLAMABAD: The ruling party at the centre, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has assured the electoral body on Monday of holding intraparty elections latest by the end of this year against the backdrop of ‘final’ showcause notices recently issued to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal – in their respective capacities as president and secretary general of the PML-N – for not holding N-League’s intraparty polls.
In the hearing of the case related to the prolonged delay in the conduct of the PML-N intraparty elections, a defence lawyer assured the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that the N-League would hold the intraparty elections on December 30.
The PML-N would hold a meeting of its General Council on the eve of its foundation day to hold the party polls, the counsel stated.
Upon receiving this assurance, the ECP directed the defence side to make sure that polls were held on the given date and adjourned the case till the coming January 5.
A four-member ECP bench comprising Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana, and Justice (retired) Ikramullah Khan heard the case.
Intra-party elections of PML-N: ECP issues final notices to Shehbaz, Ahsan
On November 10, the ECP issued “final” showcause notices to Sharif and Iqbal for their failure to hold intraparty elections of the N-League.
The electoral body warned the two top office-bearers of the PML-N that action would be taken against their party if they failed to submit a reply to the notices by November 21. In May this year, the electoral body issued a showcause notice to the PM for his failure to hold intraparty elections of the PML-N in his capacity as the party president, warning that N-League would be declared ineligible to get electoral symbol if intraparty polls are not held at the earliest.
According to the ECP, intraparty polls in the PML-N were due by March 13 this year. On N-League’s request, the ECP extended this date and allowed it to hold the intraparty polls latest by May 14, and submit the related certificate by May 21, which the PML-N failed to do.
Section 209 of Elections Act 2017 reads: “Certification by the political party— (1) A political party shall, within seven days from completion of the intraparty elections, submit a certificate signed by an office-bearer authorised by the party head, to the commission to the effect that the elections were held in accordance with the constitution of the political party and this act to elect the office-bearers at the federal, provincial and local levels, wherever applicable.”
Section 215 (4) of the Elections Act, 2017 states: “Where a political party or combination of political parties, severally or collectively, fails to comply with the provision of Section 209 or Section 210, the commission shall issue to such political party or parties a notice to showcause as to why it or they may not be declared ineligible to obtain an election symbol.”
Section 215(5) reads that if a political party or parties to whom showcause notice has been issued under Subsection 4 fails to comply with the provision of Section 209 or Section 210, the commission may after affording it or them an opportunity of being heard, declare it or them ineligible to obtain an election symbol for election to parliament, provincial assembly or a local government, and the commission shall not allocate an election symbol to such political party or combination of political parties in subsequent election.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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