ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has given Muttahida Qaumi Movement –Pakistan (MQM-P) six-month time to hold intra-party elections, by 15 October this year, less than 10 days after rejecting the political party’s request to be granted two months to prepare its defence in the case.
Barrister Farogh Naseem represented the MQM-P before a three-member ECP bench on Thursday in the case involving the non-conduct of intra-party elections of the said political party.
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja headed the bench.
Presenting his arguments, Naseem said, the MQM-P is in the process of compiling its lists of members for intra-party elections that require at least three months to be finalised.
ECP’s Director General Political Finance Masood Akhtar Sherwanee briefed the bench that MQM-P’s intra-party elections were last held on 16 October 2021. As per the political party’s constitution, the intra-party elections are required to be held after every four years, he said, adding that the MQM-P had earlier requested to be given time till December this year to hold intra-party polls.
The bench directed the MQM-P to hold intra-party elections by 15 October 2026.
In the previous hearing of this case on 7 April, the ECP bench had rejected the defence side’s request to be given two-month time to allow the political party’s Convenor Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui to appear before the bench and present the case.
The Section 208(1) of the Elections Act 2017 provides that the office-bearers of a political party at the federal, provincial and local levels, wherever applicable, shall be elected periodically in accordance with the constitution of the political party: Provided that a period, not exceeding five years, shall intervene between any two elections.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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