ECP issues notice to PTI on Babar's plea against ‘fraudulent' intra-party polls

• Five-member commission conducts hearing on plea. 
• Akbar S Babar's lawyer says no procedure followed for polls.
• ECP adjourns hearing till December 12 (Tuesday). 

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday issued notice to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on a petition filed by its founding member Akbar S Babar challenging the party's intra-party polls.

The PTI recently held intra-party polls after which Babar, along with other party members, filed a petition, against "rigged/fraudulent PTI intra-party elections" requesting the country's top electoral authority to order the party to conduct fresh polls.

Following the polls held in Peshawar to elect the party's new officeholders including a replacement for former chairman Imran, the party members voted in favour of Barrister Gohar Khan, the ex-PTI chief's lawyer whom he nominated himself for the key post.

In the wake of the elections, held on December 2, Babar refused to accept the polls and move the electoral authority against the irregularities. The senior politician added that he and other founding leaders are part of the party following the high court’s decision.

The politician approached the ECP seeking its intervention in the matter as a member of PTI whose membership was validated by the electoral body.

A 5-member commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, conducted the hearing on the petition filed by 14 PTI members against the intra-party polls.

Babar and others, in the petition, mentioned that there was no schedule given before the elections and the voter lists were also not released. "There was no activity in PTI central secretariat related to elections," said the plea. 

The petition added that the intra-party polls were not conducted with the law and party constitution, asking the ECP to nullify the elections. 

During the hearing today, Babar's lawyer appeared before the ECP saying that the electoral body had ordered to conduct polls under the party constitution.

"There was no voter list and procedure followed for the intra-party polls and there is no mention of an election program in the party constitution," he added. 

The lawyer said that the party's election commissioner has kept the database with him. 

He also showed the video of intra-party elections to the ECP and submitted it to the commission. 

The Election Commission adjourned the hearing till December 12 (Tuesday).