The country's polls oversight authority--the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)--is going to take up tomorrow (Tuesday) a case related to intra-party elections in Imran Khan's PTI.
In this regard, the ECP has issued notices to the PTI, its nominal chairman, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, and the party's chief election commissioner, Raoof Hasan.
The ECP has also notified PTI's disgruntled founding member Akbar S Babar and other respondents. The authority has held eight hearings of the case, which has been pending since March 2024.
The commission in December 2023 declared PTI's intra-party elections null and void in view of various irregularities while hearing a complaint filed by Akbar S Babar.
The Supreme Court on January 17, 2024 upheld the ECP order.
As a result of the order, the PTI lost its election symbol of the cricket bat and its candidates had to contest February 8, 2024 general elections as independents.
Soon after the elections, the PTI in March 2024 re-conducted intra-party polls, declaring that Gohar Ali Khan and Omar Ayub Khan had been elected unopposed as the chairman and secretary general of the party "in elections held as per Supreme Court guidelines".
However, the ECP once again raised objections to the manner in which polls were held.
It said the PTI failed to conduct intra-party elections under Section 208 (1) of the Elections Act for the last five years, rendering the party without the organizational structure.
The PTI also failed to submit the required documents for enlisting under Section 202 (5) as the party had to submit the documents of intra-party elections. In addition, the ECP inquired from the PTI, if the party's general body meeting held on January 31, 2024, was in line with Section 208 (3).
The PTI appointed the federal chief election commissioner for the intra-party elections under the resolution of the general body meeting whereas a party had to form the electoral college under Section 208 (3).
As per the PTI constitution, the national council on the recommendations of the CEC appoints the federal chief election commissioner.
The ECP inquired from the PTI about the status of the general body and the federal chief election commissioner as the general body deputed the chief organizer who notified the federal chief election commissioner.
The ECP asked if the general body could appoint the chief organizer and the federal chief election commissioner. It sought the PTI's stance on the five applications related to intra-party elections, asking the party why the ECP should not take action against the party under Section 208 (5).
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