ISLAMABAD:The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued notices to 42 political parties for their failure to file accounts details, an annual legal requirement.

The parties issued notices included Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Balochistan National Party (BNP), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), Mohajir Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z), Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan-Noorani (JUP-N), Tehrik-i-Labaik Islam (TLI), All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) and Pakistan Sunni Tehrik.

The ECP has given these parties a week’s time to explain as to why they should not be declared ineligible for an election symbol for the upcoming elections.

ECP gives a week’s time to parties to explain why they should not be declared ineligible for an election symbol

Under section 210 of the election act, all political parties are required to submit statements of their accounts and assets audited by a chartered accountant within two months after the start of a new financial year, which expired on Aug 31.

The statement is required to contain annual income and expenses, sources of its funds and assets and liabilities.

The statement is required to be accompanied by the report of a chartered accountant with regard to the audit of accounts of the political party and a certificate signed by an office-bearer authorised by the party head stating that (a) no funds from any source prohibited under this Act were received by the political party; and (b) the statement contains an accurate financial position of the political party.

Section 215 (1) reads: “Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law, a political party enlisted under this Act shall be eligible to obtain an election symbol for contesting elections for Majlis-i-Shoora (parliament), provincial assemblies or local government on submission of certificates and statements referred to in sections 202, 206, 209 and 210”.

Under sub-section 2, a combination of enlisted political parties shall be entitled to obtain one election symbol for an election only if each party constituting such combination submits the certificates and statements referred to in sections 202, 206, 209 and 210.

Section 215(4) reads: “Where a political party or combination of political parties, severally or collectively, fails to comply with the provision of section 209 or section 210, the Commission shall issue to such political party or parties a notice to show cause as to why it or they may not be declared ineligible to obtain an election symbol.”

Section 215 (5) reads: “If a political party or parties to whom show cause notice has been issued under sub-section (4) fails to comply with the provision of section 209 or section 210, the Commission may after affording it or them an opportunity of being heard declare it or them ineligible to obtain an election symbol for election to Majlis-i-Shoora (parliament), provincial assembly or a local government, and the Commission shall not allocate an election symbol to such political party or combination of political parties in subsequent elections.”

After new election laws were enacted in 2017, 122 political parties qualified for enlistment with the ECP.

Though the Elections Act 2017 changed formalities for enlisting political parties with the ECP, it still did not come up with a tangible criterion for discouraging non-serious political entities.

Before the Election Act 2017 was enacted, more than 350 political parties were enlisted with the ECP, most of them only existing on papers.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2019