ECP releases list of 175 political parties, leaves PTI leadership blank in relevant box

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday released the latest list of political parties eligible to contest the upcoming general election scheduled for February 8, 2024.

The list includes 175 political parties, but leaves the name of the party leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) blank in the relevant box.

The ECP had earlier declared the PTI’s intra-party elections null and void. The ECP had found that the PTI had failed to hold free and fair intra-party elections, and that the polls were objectionable and controversial.

The PTI had challenged the ECP’s verdict in the Islamabad High Court, but the court had dismissed the petition and upheld the ECP’s decision.

The ECP’s list also includes PTI Parliamentarians, a faction of the PTI led by former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak. The PTI Parliamentarians had split from the PTI after the May 9 incidents, and had claimed to have the support of a majority of the PTI’s members of the National Assembly and the provincial assembly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The ECP’s list also features other major political parties, such as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, Awami National Party and Balochistan Awami Party-Mengal.

The ECP had earlier announced the election schedule after a consultative meeting between President Dr Arif Alvi and Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.

According to the schedule, the candidates had been asked to submit their nomination papers by Sunday, December 24, 2023, which was the last day to do so.

The ECP will scrutinize the nomination papers from December 25 to December 29, and the final list of candidates will be published on January 5, 2024.

Tiktoker Sandal Khattak files nomination papers on reserved seat

The candidates can withdraw their nomination papers by January 7, 2024, and the ECP will allot election symbols to the candidates on January 8, 2024.

The election campaign will end on February 6, 2024, and the polling will take place on February 8, 2024.

The ECP has also issued a code of conduct for the candidates, the political parties, the media, and the observers.

The ECP has also imposed a ban on the posting and transfer of government officials until the completion of the election process.

The ECP has said that it is committed to ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections in the country.