Non-submission of statements: ECP issues notices to 43 political parties

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued notices to 43 political parties over their failure in submitting their consolidated statements of accounts for the last financial year 2024-25, and has fixed this case for hearing the coming Wednesday, 1 November.

The said political parties mostly include those that exist only on paper but lack any significant political presence on the ground. Of them, only two political parties, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), have representation in the Parliament.

The Section 210 (1) of the Elections Act, 2017 provides that a political party shall submit to the Commission within 60 days from the close of a financial year a consolidated statement of its accounts audited by a chartered accountant – containing: (a) annual income and expenses; (b) sources of its funds; and (c) assets and liabilities.

Under Section 210(2) of the same law, the statement under Sub-section (1) shall be accompanied by the report of a chartered accountant about the audit of accounts of the political party and a certificate signed by an office-bearer authorised by the party head stating that— (a) no funds from any source prohibited under this Act were received by the political party; and (b) the statement contains an accurate financial position of the political party.

A political party shall be eligible to obtain an election symbol for contesting elections for the Parliament, provincial assemblies, or local government on submission of its statement of accounts, in the light of Section 215(2) of the Elections Act 2017.

However, the Supreme Court, in its landmark judgement in the reserved seats case, last year, declared that the lack or denial of an election symbol does not in “any manner affect the constitutional and legal rights of a political party to participate in an election (whether general or by) and to field candidates and the Commission is under a constitutional duty to act, and construe and apply all statutory provisions, accordingly.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025