On Tuesday, PTI’s intra-party case will be heard by ECP

August 23 is the date on which the PTI’s intra-party election case is scheduled to be heard by a five-member panel led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Raja Sultan.

The ECP will hear from Aziz Bhandari, the PTI’s new attorney.

Because there was no bench available, the PTI intra-party election case was previously at least twice delisted by the ECP.

The ECP delisted the case because a bench was not available for the hearing that was originally planned for May 30. The notifications for PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Spokesman Raoof Hassan to appear before the hearing were sent out, and it was rescheduled for June 6.

With the PTI “losing organisational structure,” the ECP questioned the party’s standing and voiced more objections to the intra-party elections in May.

Owing to anomalies in its intra-party elections, the ECP removed the PTI’s electoral symbol on December 22, 2023. After the ECP judgment was affirmed by the Supreme Court, the party was compelled to run its candidates as independents in the general elections scheduled for February 8.

On March 3, the party held its intra-party elections once more following the general elections. At this point, the party requests that the ECP send out its notice.

However, the ECP has written a two-page questionnaire to the Imran-founded party and once again expressed disapproval of the new party polling.

As per Section 208(1), the electoral watchdog questioned the PTI’s current “status” as a political party, pointing out that the party failed to organize intra-party elections within a five-year period. It said, “hence, on lapsing of five years, it lost its organizational structure.”

Along with questioning why the former ruling party’s registration should not be delisted and why there shouldn’t be a fee for holding late intraparty elections, the ECP also raised concerns.

According to Section 208(5), “The Commission shall impose a fine which may extend to Rs200,000 but shall not be less than Rs100,000 shall be served upon any political party that fails to conduct intra-party elections within the time frame specified in their constitution and shall issue a show-cause notice to such party.”

Further, it questioned the legitimacy of the appointment of the party’s federal election commissioner and chief organizer by its General Body, given that the PTI’s constitution specifies that appointments to the former position be made through the National Council on the advice of the Chief Executive Committee (CEC).