All major political parties, including the key coalition partners as well as opposition parties, have submitted the details of their annual party accounts with the Election Commission of Pakistan.
The 40 parties include the Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, and the Balochistan National Party.
However, more than 130 parties have not yet submitted the annual account details of their parties. Although these parties have seldom had any representation in parliament and the provincial assemblies but are still registered with the Election Commission and there is no law to bar them from existing as political parties.
The only action the commission can take against them is to not allow them to contest elections under one symbol.
The Election Commission has no law to bar any such parties who either do not submit their annual accounts with it or do not get seats in parliament or provincial assemblies even after many consecutive polls.
Most among them are “a few member parties” but there is no reason to stop them from politicking or asking them to merge with major parties for effective politics and having representation in the elected houses. There are 192 political parties registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan of which 172 have to submit their annual accounts with the Commission.
The remaining 20 are in a nascent stage and have not completed the period that requires to submit details of accounts after registration.
Article 13 of the Political Parties Order 2002 provides that every political party shall submit to the Election Commission, within 60 days from the close of each financial year, a consolidated statement of accounts of the party, duly audited by a chartered accountant.
A certificate signed by the party leader must also accompany the statement of accounts stating that no finds from any source prohibited under the political Parties Order, 2002, were received by the party and the statement contains an accurate financial position of the party.
Moreover, Article 14 of the Political Party Order 2002 states that a party which fails to submit its statement of accounts under Article 13 will not be eligible to obtain an election symbol for contesting elections for Majlis-e-Shoora (parliament) and provincial assemblies.
