ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday summoned leaders from several political parties, including Jamat-e-Islami (JI) Amir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, Awami National Party (ANP) Head Asfandyar Wali Khan, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, in cases related to the allocation of party tickets to women and the holding of intra-party elections.
Similarly, the ECP has issued notices to the heads of Jamat-e-Islami, Awami National Party, Balochistan National Party (BNP), Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), and 10 other political parties for failing to meet the legal requirement of allocating at least 5% of their party tickets to women candidates for general seats in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies.
These party leaders are required to appear before the ECP on September 4 to address the issue.
The notices were issued under Section 206 of the Election Act, which mandates that every political party must field at least 5% women candidates in general elections to promote gender representation in the legislative process.
In a related development, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Pakistan (JUI-P) has come under scrutiny by the ECP for not holding intra-party elections. The ECP has directed the head of JUI-P to appear before a four-member bench, headed by Nisar Durrani, at 10:00 AM on Thursday.
The JUI-P has neither conducted the required intra-party elections nor submitted any certification of such to the ECP. This failure had previously led to the party being deprived of its election symbol before the general elections of February 8, 2024.
The ECP’s actions underline its commitment to enforcing electoral regulations, particularly those concerning gender representation and internal party governance.
