ECP issues notice to PTI regarding petitions challenging intra-party polls

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued on Friday a notice to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in response to petitions challenging the party’s intra-party polls.

Earlier this week, estranged PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar said he would challenge the conduct of intra-party elections held on December 3.

A 5-member commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, conducted the hearing today. Babar appeared before the commission and said that there was no voter list and procedure followed for the intra-party polls.

PTI urges ECP to give ‘shut up’ call to ‘touts’, ‘fraudsters’

He added that there was no mention of an election program in the party constitution.

Earlier Babar had told Aaj News he would challenge the PTI’s intra-party election in the ECP, claiming that never have only 15 to 20 people been present in an intra-party election.

On December 5, PTI member Raja Tahir Nawaz also filed a petition saying that the intra-party elections were not held as per the Constitution.

The election was held after forming a dummy panel, the petition alleged, and added that it was the responsibility of the secretary-general to organise the poll.

Separately, leaders of many other parties, including the PML-N and PPP, have also questioned the legitimacy of the intra-party elections.

PTI polls

On November 23, the ECP annulled PTI’s intra-party polls held in June last year, and asked the party to hold the elections within 20 days if it wanted to retain its “bat” symbol in the forthcoming general elections slated for February 8 next year.

The polls resulted in Barrister Gohar Khan replacing Imran Khan as PTI chairman.

While former chairman Imran Khan, currently incarcerated in jail, did not contest in the polls, Gohar Ali Khan retained the party’s jailed Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi at his current post.