Amended constitution case: ECP gives PkMAP ‘last chance’ to submit reply

ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has given the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), led by National Assembly Leader of the Opposition Mehmood Khan Achakzai, a "last chance" to submit a reply regarding cases concerning the amended party constitution and non-conduct of intra-party elections. On Tuesday, a five-member full bench of the ECP heard two cases involving these issues.

PkMAP's Senior Vice President and defense counsel, Advocate Aimal Mandokhail, appeared before the bench in both cases. The defense lawyer argued that a two-member division bench of the Balochistan High Court had heard the case related to the amended constitution and reserved the verdict, also extending the stay in the intra-party elections case.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja directed Mandokhail to read out the PkMAP petition filed before the ECP bench, but the counsel did not have a copy at the time. He requested more time to present the petition's copy. The CEC expressed concern that PKMAP was not taking the matter seriously and stated that the ECP bench would review the BHC's order and proceed accordingly in the two cases.

The bench then granted the defense side the last chance to submit a reply and adjourned the hearing to the following Tuesday (13 October). PkMAP is one of three parties involved in cases with the ECP, alongside Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other opposition parties. The opposition alliance, known as Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP), is currently supporting a long march led by PTI.

There are three pending cases against PkMAP with the ECP, including non-conduct of intra-party elections, the party's constitution, and its financial accounts. Last month, CEC Raja had warned that the electoral body would issue a "unilateral" decision in two of the three cases related to PkMAP if the defense side failed to submit the required replies.