Pakistan: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a warning to Imran Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, for failing to conduct intra-party elections. Despite the warning, Imran Khan did not appear before the ECP on the scheduled day, as reported by The Express Tribune.

The ECP had summoned Imran Khan and cautioned that his party could be declared ineligible to obtain an election symbol for future party polls if he failed to comply, citing Section 215 (5) of the Elections Act, 2017.

The ECP referred to Section 209(1) of the Election Act, stating that every registered political party is required to provide the commission with a certificate confirming the holding of intra-party polls.

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During the hearing, the PTI’s lawyer, Barrister Gohar Ali, appeared before the panel headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, requesting a postponement of the hearing. As a result, no further progress was made on the matter during that session.

The ECP had previously issued notices to the PTI, reminding them of the due date for their intra-party elections, which were supposed to take place on June 13, 2021, as per the party’s constitution.

The PTI had requested an extension for the elections, and the ECP granted an extension until June 13, 2022. However, even by that extended date, the party failed to conduct the polls.

The electoral body had also reminded the PTI about the requirements specified in the Elections Act, 2017, but the party failed to provide the necessary certificate confirming the completion of intra-party elections. In May of the previous year, the ECP issued a final notice to the PTI, urging them to hold intra-party elections by June 13, 2022, with no further extensions allowed.

In response to the notice, the PTI submitted an amended version of its party’s constitution, which was deemed “insufficient” by the ECP. As the issue remains unresolved, the future of the PTI’s eligibility for obtaining an election symbol for future party polls remains uncertain.