ECP issues final notice to PTI chief for failing to hold intra-party elections

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday issued a final notice to former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for failing to hold intra-party elections despite several reminders, Aaj News reported.

The electoral watchdog also summoned the PTI chief in person on August 4, warning that the PTI would be declared ineligible to get electoral symbol if it fails to respond to the notice.

A four-member ECP bench headed by Nisar Ahmed Durrani heard the intra-party elections case.

In May last year, the electoral body issued a show cause notice to Imran Khan for his failure to hold intra-party elections of the PTI in his capacity as the party chairman.

According to the ECP, intra-party polls in PTI were due by June 13, 2021. On PTI’s request, the ECP extended this date and allowed it to hold the intra-party polls latest by May 2022, which the party 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 state: “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 show cause 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 show-cause 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 a subsequent election.