ISLAMABAD   -  The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has summoned Jamat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman Awami National Party (ANP) Head Asfandyar Wali Khan and other party heads in a case related to the allocation of party tickets to women. As per details, the ECP has issued a notice to heads of political parties including Jamat-e-Islami, Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan National Party (BNP) and the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and 10 other political parties, including the Awami National Party (ANP), for failing to allocate 5 percent of their party tickets to women.

According to the summon notice, the party heads of 14 political parties have been asked to appear before the ECP on September 4. The notices were issued under Section 206 of the Election Act, which pertains to the allocation of party tickets to women candidates. It is mandatory for every political party to field at least 5pc women candidates on general seats in the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies.

Meanwhile, following the PTI, now it is the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Pakistan (JUI-P), which is on the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) radar as the commission on Wednesday directed the party head to show up at 10:00 on Thursday morning for not holding the intra-party elections.. A four-member bench of the ECP, headed by Nisar Durrani, will hear the case. The JUI-P has neither held the intra-party elections so far nor has submitted any certificate to the election commission. It was precisely the same reason why the ECP had deprived the country’s largest opposition party of its election symbol prior to the general elections of February 8, 2024.