Key Takeaways
- The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has given the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) a final opportunity to submit a reply in a case involving the party’s amended constitution.
- The PkMAP’s Senior Vice President and defence counsel, Advocate Aimal Mandokhail, appeared before the ECP bench.
- The hearing was part of a broader case involving the non-conduct of intra-party elections and the party’s financial accounts.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has given the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) a final opportunity to submit a reply in a case involving the party’s amended constitution. The PkMAP, led by the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, faces multiple legal challenges from the ECP.
During the hearing, the defence counsel, Advocate Aimal Mandokhail, appeared before a five-member full bench of the ECP. Mandokhail was tasked with presenting arguments on behalf of the PkMAP in two cases: the non-conduct of intra-party elections and the party’s amended constitution.
The ECP bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, directed Mandokhail to read out the PkMAP’s petition filed before the ECP bench. However, Mandokhail informed the bench that he did not have a copy of the relevant petition at the moment and sought time to present it.
The CEC observed that it appeared the PkMAP was not taking the matter seriously and warned that the ECP would issue a ‘unilateral’ decision if the party failed to submit the related replies. This warning was made on 1 September during a hearing of three cases related to PkMAP.
The ECP bench extended the stay in the intra-party elections case and adjourned the hearing until 13 October, giving the PkMAP the last chance to submit its reply. The bench also heard the case regarding the PkMAP’s amended constitution, which was reserved by a two-member division bench of the Balochistan High Court.
The PkMAP is currently involved in a joint struggle against the current federal government, as part of the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP) alliance, which includes the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other opposition parties.
The ECP is currently hearing cases involving the PkMAP at a time when Achakzai is strongly supporting the long march launched by PTI earlier on Sunday. In total, three cases against the PkMAP are pending with the ECP: the non-conduct of intra-party elections, the party’s constitution, and its financial accounts.
The ECP has warned that it will issue a ‘unilateral’ decision in two of the three cases related to the PkMAP if the defence side fails to submit the related replies. The warning was made during a hearing of three cases related to the PkMAP on 1 September.
