ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Wednesday accepted the PTI’s request and gave it more time for submission of documents related to the intra-party polls.
Headed by the Sindh Member Nisar Ahmad Durrani, a four-member bench resumed hearing in the case. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Faisal Chaudhry represented the party.
Gohar informed the bench that the PTI had approached court of law to get back the intra-party election record taken away by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) during a raid at its central office. The PTI counsel assured the bench that the record would be submitted soon after the FIA handed it over to them.
Gohar requested the Election Commission to extend the deadline for submission of documents, pertaining to the intra-party elections. Owing to this development, the PTI members, including the founding member Akbar S. Babar and other party veterans who had filed complaints against the March 3 PTI Intra Party elections, could not argue their case and were told to reappear on the next date of hearing, fixed for October 22. Later, talking to the reporters outside the ECP office, Gohar expressed hope that the commission will recognise the PTI’s intra-party elections, claiming the elections were conducted as per the ECP’s directives and that the digital record was in possession of the party. He blamed the FIA for seizing the poll record from the PTI’s central office and urged the ECP to direct the agency to return it. He said some people are trying to stop him from being the PTI chairman, but was he optimistic that such efforts will fail. However, immediately after the hearing was over, the ECP spokesperson issued a statement stating that the PTI was responsible for the procedural delays concerning the case and said the party had constantly failed in meeting its constitutional obligations.
The spokesperson said initially, the PTI was due to conduct its intra-party elections by June 13, 2021. However, the elections were not held on time, whereas the ECP issued multiple reminders to the party and eventually served a show-cause notice on July 27, 2021. In response, she recalled, the PTI requested a one-year extension, citing the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The electoral body granted the extension, moving the deadline to June 13, 2022. Even then, in June 2022, the PTI submitted incomplete intra-party election documents under Form 65.
Despite repeated reminders from the ECP, she noted, the party continued to delay submitting the necessary documents. The ECP showed flexibility throughout the process, granting PTI multiple opportunities to meet its legal obligations. However, the responsibility for the delay lies with the party, as the Commission works towards resolving the matter in accordance with the law. The spokesperson noted the PTI eventually held its intra-party elections on March 3 this year, but the process was marred by several shortcomings. The ECP served a notice regarding these issues on April 23, 2024, with the first hearing held on April 30, 2024. Between April and October 2024, six hearings took place but the PTI repeatedly sought adjournments. This included the latest request for more time during the hearing on October 2, 2024, further delaying the resolution of the issue.
Talking to the reporters, PTI’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry refuted the allegations levelled in the ECP’s statement and charged the statement reflected the Commission’s bias towards the PTI. He went on to say that there was not much hope of getting an impartial decision in the intra-party elections case from the Election Commission. He explained that since the ECP itself refused to issue directions to the FIA to provide the related record, including the documentary evidence, USBs and audio/ video recordings, and directed the PTI to approach the court, an application was filed with the FIA special magistrate for provision of record and notices had been issued in this regard by the court. Owing to this reason, it was certainly not possible to provide assistance till the availability of the requisite record.
