The Milli Muslim League (MML) on Thursday approached the
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the suspension of registration
of all political parties failing to follow the provisions of the recently enacted Elections Act 2017.
The
petition submitted by Advocate Rizwan Abbasi, on behalf of MML
Spokesman Haq Nawaz Ghumman, argues that the Elections Act requires
political parties to submit a Rs200,000 registration fee and a list of
2,000 members with their National Identity Card (CNIC) numbers.
The
deadline for this submission ended on December 2 but none of the
registered political parties obliged by the rules and should, therefore,
be suspended, the petition maintained.
The MML said that
the lawmakers belonging to these parties should also immediately be
de-notified following the cancellation of registration as they will
automatically cease to hold their seats.
Earlier this year, the ECP rejected MML's bid for registration as a political party
after the Interior Ministry objected to its ties to banned militant
outfits. The MML — the Jamaatud Dawa's political front — has moved the
Islamabad High Court against the decision.
