The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has removed the PTI intra-party election case from its list due to the unavailability of the bench.
A notice posted on the ECP’s website states, “It is circulated for the information of the general public and the litigants that the following cases scheduled for hearing before the honorable Election Commission of Pakistan on 30.05.24 have been removed due to the bench’s non-availability, and the next hearing date will be announced later.”
Among the cases listed in the notice, the “non-conduct of intra-party elections of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf” stands out. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Raoof Hassan, who acted as the party’s chief federal election commissioner, were summoned for Thursday’s hearing.
The PTI conducted intra-party elections on June 9, 2022, which were invalidated by the ECP in November 2023 after a prolonged legal battle of around one and a half years.
The ECP’s decision in November 2023 mandated the former ruling party to conduct fresh elections within 20 days if it wished to retain its electoral symbol — the bat.
In a remarkable turn of events, the PTI held another round of intra-party elections on December 2, 2023, in less than 10 days, eager to retain its iconic poll symbol.
However, on December 22, 2023, the ECP nullified the PTI’s internal elections for the second time in less than a month. The ECP, after a detailed examination, declared the party ineligible to receive an election symbol for the upcoming general elections.
The ECP emphasized that the PTI secretary-general was not authorized to appoint a federal election commissioner to oversee intra-party elections.
As a consequence of the ECP’s decision, PTI candidates had to contest the general elections as independents, and the party had to organize its intra-party elections for the third time on March 3 of the current year.
The ECP raised objections again regarding the electoral process and initiated a hearing without disclosing the specifics of the objections.
In response to PTI’s objections, the ECP issued a questionnaire seeking clarification on the party’s intra-party elections and its status following the loss of organizational structure and electoral symbol.
Two weeks ago, the PTI submitted a comprehensive response addressing seven questions posed by the ECP, urging the election body to officially acknowledge the recent intra-party elections. The response highlighted that the PTI remained an active and functioning political entity registered with the ECP under Section 202 of the Election Act, 2017.
The response clarified that there was no provision in the Election Act, 2017, or the Election Rules, 2017, for an enlisted party to lose its organizational structure after five years if intra-party elections were not held within that period. It underscored that the PTI had conducted its intra-party elections on June 9, 2022, as per its prevailing constitution, and subsequent steps were taken in compliance with the directives of the ECP.
Thus, the PTI maintained that it continued to function as an enlisted political party, exercising its rights under relevant legal provisions, including Article 17 of the Constitution, the Elections Act, 2017, and the Election Rules, 2017.
