{
  "id": 3868660,
  "title": "ECP’s deadline approaches: Three political parties remain ‘headless’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/ecps-deadline-approaches-three-political-parties-remain-headless",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-28T02:12:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40436776/ecps-deadline-approaches-three-political-parties-remain-headless"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Islamabad - The deadline to submit annual wealth statements to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) draws near, and three political parties, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), are left without any recognized leadership due to their ongoing disputes. Last month, the ECP set the requirement for political parties to submit these statements, which must be audited by a chartered accountant within 60 days following the end of the fiscal year, by the 29th of this month, as per Section 210 of the Elections Act 2017. PKMAP is currently without a chairman as intra-party elections have not been conducted, a situation highlighted by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, who claimed that the ECP has not recognized Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the National Assembly's Leader of the Opposition, as the party's head. The ECP also declared TLP ineligible to obtain an election symbol, barring its chief Saad Rizvi and his brother Anas Rizvi from holding elections, as they are perceived to be hiding following the crackdown on TLP's long march in October last year. Additionally, the ECP has rejected the legality of PTI's intra-party polls for the fourth consecutive year, dismissing Barrister Gohar Ali Khan as the party's chairman. The submission of these wealth statements is seen as a mere formality, with the Political Wing of the ECP lacking the necessary legal framework to address tax-related discrepancies in the wealth statements.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: As the deadline for the heads of political parties to submit their annual wealth statements to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) approaches tomorrow (Saturday), three political parties remain “headless” with relevant cases spending with the electoral body. Last month, the ECP directed the heads of political parties to submit the required wealth statements under Section 210 of…",
  "key_points": [
    "Three political parties (PKMAP, TLP, PTI) lack recognized leadership due to disputes.",
    "ECP set deadline for wealth statements submission by 29th August per Elections Act 2017.",
    "PKMAP, TLP, PTI's leadership rejected; PTI's intra-party polls rejected for fourth year."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The looming deadline for submitting annual wealth statements exposes the vulnerability of three major political parties, PKMAP, TLP, and PTI, which are currently without recognized leadership due to internal disputes and ECP invalidation.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}