ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has barred 14 registered political parties from contesting the upcoming election for their failure to hold the intra-party election, which was a violation of the Election Act, 2017.
ECP spokesperson Altaf Khan said on Monday said that 106 political parties out of 120 were allowed to take part in the election which had fulfilled requirements in accordance with the two new rules introduced for the registration of a party.
He said that the 14 registered parties were not allotted electoral symbols for their failure to hold the intra-party election and comply with other rules and regulations.
The spokesperson said ECP had incorporated two new rules, including 20,000 attested copies of Computerised National Identity Cards of party workers and Rs200,000 registration fee to control the increasingly growing number of political parties.
The rules, he said, proved to be instrumental in tapping the mushrooming of political parties in 2016 that witnessed a surge in 2013.
The parties, which were not allotted election symbols, included Pakistan Muslim League (Sher-e-Bengal), Tehreek-e-Tahafuze Pakistan, Tehreek-e-Ehsas-e-Pakistan, Tehreek Ahle-e-Sunnat Pakistan, Pakistan National Muslim, League, Tehreek-e-Suba Hazara and others.
The spokesperson said the ECP in that regard had written letters to all parties contending for registration to submit all the required details within the stipulated time otherwise their registration would be declared null and void.
He said that ECP is logistically fully prepared to hold the upcoming election on time scheduled to be held on July 25 of this year.
It is pertinent to mention that returning officers across the country have allocated party symbols to prospective candidates who produced party certificates while independent candidates were allocated symbols from the list of 224 symbols.
