In a crucial development, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reserved judgment on a petition seeking the removal of Imran Khan as the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. The hearing, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and a five-member bench, took place on Tuesday, with PTI’s lawyer Shoaib Shaheen and petitioner Khalid Mehmood presenting their arguments.
PTI’s counsel argued that the issue of PTI’s chairmanship had become irrelevant as the party had recently elected a new chairman. The lawyer contended that the petition should be dismissed since the record of a recent intra-party election, held on December 2, had been submitted to the ECP. During this election, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan was elected unopposed as the new chairman, replacing Imran Khan.
The chief election commissioner of intra-party elections, Niaziullah Niazi, had announced the results, stating that all candidates were elected unanimously. However, the validity of these elections has been questioned, particularly by PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar, who, along with other founding members, expressed dissatisfaction, claiming they were sidelined and deprived of their rights.
In today’s session, PTI’s lawyer suggested that if the ECP intends to pursue the matter further, it should allow PTI leader Akbar S. Babar to file a petition. Responding to this, the chief election commissioner opined that by permitting Khalid Mehmood to file a petition, the opportunity is given to challenge the new chairman.
During the hearing, petitioner Khalid Mehmood urged the bench to include in the judgment that the former prime minister, Imran Khan, was convicted and, therefore, should not hold any official position. The chief election commissioner responded by noting that since Imran Khan did not participate in the intra-party election, the commission was not in a position to make any definitive statements.
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It’s worth mentioning that in November of the previous year, Imran Khan was found guilty of ‘corrupt practices’ and providing inaccurate details of gifts to the ECP in the Toshakhana case. A session court in Islamabad sentenced him to three years in jail and declared him ineligible to hold public office for five years. The current developments add an extra layer of complexity to the political landscape as the ECP deliberates on the petition challenging Imran Khan’s position within the PTI.
Finance Division releases Rs17.4bn to ECP for elections
The Finance Division on Tuesday said it has released Rs17.4 billion to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the upcoming general elections slated to be held on February 8, 2024.
The amount was in addition to the Rs10bn released in July 2023, the Finance Ministry said, highlighting that the latest disbursement brought the total funds released for polls to Rs27.4bn.
“The Finance Division remains committed to provision of funds as and when required by the Election Commission of Pakistan,” it added.
The development comes a day after the electoral body raised alarm over the delay in the release of the urgently needed amount for the conduct of polls.
Earlier, sources told Dawn that the ECP had asked for Rs51bn for the elections, but later after a series of meetings settled for Rs47bn, out of which Rs5bn had been released during the previous fiscal year. In the budget passed in June, the government had allocated Rs42bn for the elections.
They said the Finance Ministry was repeatedly approached and a written reminder was also sent for an immediate release of funds. However, there was no positive response, compelling the ECP to summon the finance secretary.
Subsequently, the finance secretary had assured the poll watchdog that the funds required by the ECP urgently would be released in a day or two. In a post X (formerly Twitter), caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi had also ruled out any crisis in meeting the ECP’s financial needs.
Last week, the electoral watchdog had rejected what it said were “baseless and misleading” reports about a delay in the upcoming general elections.
The statement had come in response to media reports that a request was submitted to the ECP to postpone the general elections, citing security concerns in Balochistan and the recent wave of terrorism.
The ECP and President Arif Alvi had agreed earlier this month on Feb 8, 2024, as the date for polls — an announcement that has stirred activity in the camps of major political parties.
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