Islamabad [Pakistan], August 28 : The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has summoned Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to appear before a four-member bench on Wednesday, Pakistan-based ARY News reported.
The electoral watchdog summoned Rehman after JUI-F did not hold intra-party polls and submit the required certificate to the electoral watchdog.
It is the same reason why the ECP had previously withdrawn the election symbol of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), before the general elections held on February 8. The ECP bench, led by Nisar Durrani, will hear the case against JUI-F on Thursday, according to ARY News report.
The JUI-F's failure to comply with the electoral watchdog's regulations has sparked concerns about its legitimacy and potential consequences.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday summoned Jamat-e-Islami (JI) Amir, 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.
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 not allocating 5 per cent of their party tickets to women, according to ARY News report.
According to the summon notice, the party heads of 14 political parties have been directed to appear before the electoral watchdog on September 4. The notices were issued under Section 206 of the Election Act, which is related to the allocation of party tickets to women candidates.
Earlier this month, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman called the members of Parliament in Pakistan as "fake representatives" of people, reported Geo News.
The JUI-F chief, who has labelled the February 9 general elections "rigged", has since been demanding fresh polls to ensure that people can elect their true representatives to the legislature.
Following the 2024 elections, the religio-political party fell out with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), citing allegations of vote rigging, interference, and manipulation of the poll results.
The JUI-F chief has also been in talks with Imran Khan-founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), for devising a strategy to force the incumbent government into new elections, as reported by Geo News.
"Fake representatives of the people are sitting in Parliament, not the real ones, [...] who don't think about the masses," Fazl said while addressing a traders' convention in Peshawar. He further stated that if any country in the region was regressing, it was Pakistan.
He slammed the government for the increased taxes, something that has irked the inflation-hit masses and opposition parties alike, saying that "the only thing that has not been taxed yet is breathing".
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