ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will hear the PTI intra-party elections case today. This comes three weeks after Imran Khan’s party demanded the immediate appointment of a new chief election commissioner and two ECP members. Their five-year terms of ECE and two members of ECP ended in January.
A three-member ECP bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, is handling the case. The defence must present arguments and submit documents in today’s hearing.
At the last hearing, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan requested more time to prepare arguments. The bench accepted his request and scheduled the hearing for March 4. PTI has submitted its written response but needs time for oral arguments.
After the February 11 hearing, Khan urged the government to appoint new ECP officials without delay. He criticized Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for failing to nominate candidates for the three vacant positions.
The five-year terms of the CEC and two ECP members, Nisar Ahmed Durrani (Sindh) and Shah Muhammad Jatoi (Balochistan), ended on January 26. However, a controversial amendment in Article 215(1) last October allows them to stay in office until replacements are appointed.
PTI leaders, including Khan and Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan, have repeatedly pushed for new appointments. Omar Ayub also wrote to Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, urging the formation of a parliamentary committee to finalize the new CEC.
According to the Constitution, the prime minister must consult the opposition leader before forwarding three names for the CEC to a parliamentary committee. This committee then selects one nominee for the position.
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The ECP, under its current leadership, has faced public criticism. Many accuse it of mishandling electoral matters, particularly those related to PTI. The intra-party elections case has dragged on since June 2022. The ECP has rejected PTI’s internal polls three times, allegedly for political reasons.
