Deadline expires on December 4: ECP receives data of only three political parties so far

Only three political parties out of total 352 registered with Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) have so far submitted required data of their members and an enlistment fee with the Commission before the deadline of December 4 (Monday). The Commission has repeatedly asked the parties to submit a list of 2,000 members along with their computerized national identity card (CNIC) numbers and deposit enlistment fee of Rs 200,000 each before the deadline, otherwise they will be de-listed.
According to details, only three political parties including Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Balochistan National Party and Aam Admi Justice Party have so far fulfilled the requirement under Elections Act, 2017. All political parties were issued a first notice to fulfil the constitutional requirement on October 20 and at least three reminders were dispatched to leadership of the parties, but to no avail. All major political parties including Pakistan Peoples' Party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam-Fazl have yet to submit the required data of their party members and an enlistment fee with the Commission.
"In case an enlisted political party fails to comply with the provisions, the ECP shall cancel the enlistment of the political party under Section 202(5) of the act," a notice issued by the Election Commission reads. On November 25, the Commission issued a final notice to all parties reminding them of their legal obligations, failing which the parties would be de-listed till they fulfil all the requirements.
The notice reminded the parties that under the Elections Act, 2017, they were required to comply with the provisions of its Sections 201, 202, 209 and 210 within 60 days of its enforcement. Prior to the 2013 general elections, the number of parties enlisted with the ECP outnumbered the available election symbols, when it climbed to 216. Currently, the number of registered political parties stands at 352 and the Commission has issued English alphabets as an election symbol to some parties too.
Under Section 4 of the Elections Act, 2017; a political party enlisted by the Commission before the commencement of the act shall be deemed to have been enlisted, provided it had filed the required documents, and if not, it shall submit the documents within 60 days of the enforcement of the law, according to the notice. The Section 5 of the Act says that if an enlisted party fails to file documents within the stipulated timeframe, the Commission shall cancel its enlistment after giving it a chance to explain the reasons.
According to an ECP official, under Section 6 of the Act, a party that has been refused enlistment or whose registration has been cancelled may, within 30 days of the refusal or cancellation of enlistment, file an appeal in the Supreme Court for its revival as a political party.