Akbar S Babar challenges PTI intra-party elections in ECP

PTI founding leader Akbar S Babar on Tuesday filed a formal application in the Election Commission of Pakistan against the intra-party elections of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The petition requested that the Election Commission should order a new intra-party election and appoint an impartial third party to monitor the PTI intra-party election, and not allow the use of the election symbol 'Bat' until a transparent intra-party election is held.

The petition took a stance that the PTI election was mere a pretense, deception and a failed attempt to deceive the Election Commission, the fraudulent election process deprived the PTI members of their right to vote and participate in the election. Intra-party elections are a violation of Section 208 and Sub-Section 2 of the Election Act 217.

Akbar S Babar also submitted the video footage and other evidence to the Election Commission along with the application.

Section 208 of the Election Act, 2017 has been cited in the three-page petition to the Chief Election Commissioner.

He has said in the application that on November 30, 2023, in the press release of the PTI Core Committee, it was announced to hold the intra-party election on December 2, in which Niazullah Niazi was appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner, while at the federal level, someone from the commission was appointed. And the name of the official was not mentioned.

In the petition, he said that the election rules and regulations, schedule, time and procedure of nomination papers, date of receipt and rejection of papers, hearing of appeals, nothing was told about elections till December 2. No information was available on the PTI website. He said on December 1, 2023 at 4:45 PM, he went to the Central Secretariat along with a delegation of PTI members.

According to the petitioner, the PTI representative showed inability to provide the required information, this incident was seen on national TV channels, on the same day the news of unopposed election of PTI officials was broadcast on electronic media.

Babar has also attached the news released on PTI's website with the request.

According to the petitioner, the Election Act requires that officials at all levels be elected for a term of five years in accordance with the party constitution. According to the law, every member of a political party shall be allowed to run for any office in an equal manner. The law says that all political parties will have an electoral college, the electoral college will consist of the general council of the party at the federal, provincial and local levels.

Babar has stated in his petition that according to the law the political party is bound to release the updated list of central office bearers and members of the executive committee, any change in it will be informed to the Election Commission. He said that he is still the PTI member as the Election Commission of Pakistan and Islamabad High Court have given decision.

The petitioner stated that he has given the best years of his life to the PTI as a true democratic party and as an ideological member, there is no other option but to approach the Election Commission of Pakistan for justice.

Babar stated that the Election Act, 2017 and the electoral rules legal framework require that the leadership in the political parties should be elected through a democratic election process, the fake intra-party election process in the political parties should be abolished, all the major political parties should be given electoral rules. And the rules should be enforced, this is the only way to get out of the problems faced by the society and the country.

It should be noted that the Election Commission had ordered to hold the PTI intra-party election on 23 November 2023 in 20 days.

We are out to save ‘Bat’, says Akbar S Babar

While talking to media, Babar said today so many people have filed applications in the ECP against the PTI intra-party elections.

He said we have come out to save the ‘Bat’ as the ‘Bat’ in in danger.

He said that the ECP had given the PTI a last chance to hold transparent intra-party elections in order to save its symbol ‘Bat’. But the elections were fraudulent, he added.

He said that we had decided long ago that the chairman of the party could be elected only twice for a tenure of three years during each term.

He said mockingly that they used to call him ‘easy load’, but now they themselves have ‘downloaded’.

Earlier in the day, a petition challenging the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s intra-party elections was filed in the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The petition was filed by PTI member Raja Tahir Nawaz Abbasi, resident of Islamabad, through Advocate Azizuddin Kaka Khel.

The petition stated that the PTI intra-party elections were not conducted according to the constitution of the party.

It said that elections were conducted by forming a dummy panel. It was the responsibility of the party’s secretary general to conduct the intra-party elections.

The petitioner requested the ECP to declare the PTI intra-party elections null and void and order the party secretary general to reconduct the polls.

Meanwhile, one of PTI founding members, Akbar S Babar, has also decided to challenge the intra-party polls.

He will submit a petition to the Election Commission in this regard.

He said that the PTI intra-party polls were unconstitutional.

Reporter Usman Khan