Election Commission of Pakistan to Hear PTI’s Intra-Party Election Case Today
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has scheduled a hearing for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) intra-party election case today. PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and information secretary Raoof Hassan have been called to present their arguments before the ECP’s bench.
The case dates back to 2023 when the ECP revoked PTI’s bat symbol due to unlawful polls within the party. PTI had held intra-party elections on June 9, 2022, but the ECP annulled these elections in December 2023. The Supreme Court later upheld this decision, forcing PTI candidates to contest the general elections on February 8 as independents.
In March 2024, PTI held another intra-party election, which was also challenged in the ECP. Earlier this month, the ECP rejected PTI’s petition to delay the hearing until the Supreme Court clarified its July 12 ruling on the reserved seats case. The ECP stated that PTI had already delayed the issue significantly and it would not be appropriate to defer it further.
The ECP’s 10-page order, written by member Sindh Nisar Ahmed Durrani, rejected all four of PTI’s applications. PTI had questioned the ECP’s jurisdiction over intra-party elections and requested the return of records taken by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) during a raid. They also sought an adjournment until the Supreme Court’s detailed judgment on the reserved seats case and guidelines from the Supreme Court.
On September 14, PTI founder Imran Khan criticized Pakistan’s ruling coalition and institutions, comparing the current situation to the era of military ruler Yahya Khan. He condemned the crackdown on PTI and accused the establishment of destroying the country’s institutions. Imran Khan also alleged that Judge Humayun Dilawar received land and illegal NOCs in return for delivering a guilty verdict against him. He further claimed that Qazi Faez Isa was given an extension to protect the ruling coalition from accountability.
Imran Khan stated that there is no point in calling Shehbaz Sharif the Prime Minister, as his decisions are subject to approval from the establishment. He suggested that Shehbaz Sharif might even be forcibly disappeared in the future.
Doubts Revealed
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) -: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is a group of people who make sure elections in Pakistan are fair and follow the rules.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) -: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a political party in Pakistan. It was founded by Imran Khan, who is a famous cricketer turned politician.
Intra-Party Election -: An intra-party election is when members of a political party vote to choose their leaders within the party.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan -: Barrister Gohar Ali Khan is a lawyer and a leader in the PTI party.
Raoof Hassan -: Raoof Hassan is the information secretary of PTI, which means he handles communication and information for the party.
Revocation of PTI’s bat symbol -: Revocation of PTI’s bat symbol means taking away the bat symbol that represents the PTI party in elections because they didn’t follow the rules.
Imran Khan -: Imran Khan is the founder of PTI and a former cricketer who became the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Military rule -: Military rule is when the army controls the government instead of elected leaders.
