Intra-party elections: ECP gives time to PTI to submit response

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday gave more time to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to submit its response in an intra-party election case, as it failed to do the needful.

A three-member bench of the commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, resumed hearing while on behalf of the PTI, its chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan was present besides the petitioners challenging the party polls, including Akbar S Babar. On having been informed, the PTI failed to submit related documents. The CEC reminded Gohar that this case had been going on since April 30, 2024, and his party had not yet submitted a written response. He emphasized that they (PTI) had to submit a response to five applications.

The party chairman explained to the bench that they responded to a notice and would submit the written response to the petitioners’ requests at the next hearing.

The CEC directed the PTI to submit a response by the next hearing and adjourned the hearing until February 11.

After the hearing, Akbar told media that he suggested that the ECP freeze PTI accounts until the pending case is decided. He insisted that the party’s organizational structure had no legal status and that PTI was currently ruled by infiltrators and aliens and the 190 million pounds case opened the PTI’s fortress. Under what law, he contended, these intruders were using the party’s accounts and resources and that there were already reports that Rs 1 billion had been distributed among lawyers.

He accused the PTI of delaying the intra-party polls case by not submitting the related documents despite the passage of nearly a year, as they had prolonged the foreign funding case to eight years, using delaying tactics. “Before the media, they claim that the petitioners/ complainants have nothing to do with the PTI and don’t say it before the ECP, as they know their own status is not legal,” he pointed out.

Talking to journalists, Gohar said the PTI founder was the symbol of the party, being the only political entity having conducted intra-party elections but its certificate was not being issued. He claimed his was the sixth largest political party in the world, and the five petitioners who came against the intra-party elections did not participate in the elections. He said they would respond to the ECP at the next hearing.

Referring to the new head of the ECP, he noted that Opposition Leader Omar Ayub had written a letter to the speaker for the appointment of the chief election commissioner, whereas Shibli Faraz had written a letter to the chairman Senate for the formation of a parliamentary committee.