ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will pronounce its verdict on a petition challenging the intra-party elections of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on December 5.
Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Raza Khan deferred the pronouncement of the verdict owing to absence of two members of the bench.
Speaking to the media outside the ECP, former PTI member Akbar S Babar said he would rid the PTI of the corrupt mafia. “PTI chief Imran Khan was promoting feudalistic and dictatorial mindset in the party,” he alleged.
At the previous hearing, the ECP had reserved its verdict after hearing arguments from the counsel for the petitioner and the PTI’s Advocate Babar Awan.
The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the PTI held “dummy” intra-party elections in violation of the party constitution. “Besides, the PTI did not fulfil the necessary legal formalities while amending its constitution on May 13, which gave the registered voters only two choices in the shape of two panels to decide between.” No one was allowed to choose anybody besides the two panels – the Insaf panel and the Ehtesaab panel, he argued.
Babar Awan said the petition was not maintainable as intra-party election could not be challenged through an election petition, and added that the elections were held in a transparent manner.
Published in Daily Times, November 29th 2017.
