ECP to hear pleas against PTI intra-party polls tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will hold hearing of complaints on the recently-conducted intra-party elections of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Tuesday, Dec 12, after having decided to issue notices to different party leaders and members during its preliminary hearing held last week.

Former information secretary and founding member of PTI Akbar S Babar and a dozen other people had moved the ECP against the intra-party elections.

Also, the ECP fixed 15 cases/representations pertaining to the National Assembly (NA) constituencies of Lahore for Monday (today).

According to the ECP cause list for December 11, representations would be conducted with regard to NA-118, 119, 121, 122, 123, 126, 128, 129 and 130, Lahore.

The ECP published the final list of delimitation of constituencies of the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies on November 30, being a legal requirement as per the Elections Act, 2017.

The ECP will also resume hearing of a contempt case against former PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday, Dec 12, over his media talk on January 24 this year, wherein he had allegedly passed contemptuous remarks and used intemperate language against the electoral body.

He had submitted reply to the related notice, which was rejected by the ECP.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan denied reports of having released the schedule for February 8 general election.

An ECP spokesman said that false statements regarding elections were being issued from time to time to the print and electronic media. “Do not pay heed to any statement attributed to the Election Commission other than the spokesman for the commission,” he said.

Such statement, he pointed out, should not be considered a policy statement of the Election Commission and added that the election schedule had not been issued yet. “The election schedule circulating on the social media is fake,” he clarified.