ISLAMABAD: Awaam Pakistan has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for an urgent hearing after formally challenging the commission’s decision to delist the party, with party president Shahid Khaqan Abbasi calling the action “arbitrary, unwarranted and unprecedented.”
In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja dated August 12, 2026, the former prime minister said Awaam Pakistan had been taken by surprise by an ECP notification issued on August 7 that formalised the delisting. The notification cited an ECP order dated August 3, 2026, in a case titled “Non-Conduct of Intra-Party Election by Awaam Pakistan.”
Grounds for the ECP’s Order
According to the commission’s own account, Awaam Pakistan was delisted after failing to hold intra-party elections within the required timeframe and not submitting annual statements of accounts, expenditures, income and liabilities. With its enlistment cancelled, the party can no longer contest elections under its name or its clock-tower symbol unless it re-registers with the ECP, a process that includes holding fresh intra-party polls that satisfy the commission.
ECP records show Awaam Pakistan was registered on January 9, 2025, with an interim leadership structure recognised at the time. Under the party’s original constitution, a full round of intra-party elections was due by June 18, 2025. When that deadline passed, the commission issued notices on July 17 and September 18, 2025, before granting the party a three-month extension, formalised in a decision issued in January 2026, to complete the process. Awaam Pakistan then submitted a revised constitution on March 25, 2026, and held its elections under the amended document rather than the original one, a step the ECP objected to before reserving its verdict on July 22 and issuing the delisting order on August 3.
Awaam Pakistan’s Defence
Abbasi’s letter presents a different account of the same period. He said the party held intra-party elections for its National General Council and national office-bearers between March 26 and April 2, 2026, and that the results and supporting documentation were submitted to the ECP on April 6, 2026. He said 12,846 party members took part in a process he described as democratic, transparent and compliant with the Elections Act, 2017.
Abbasi argued that the delisting order was inconsistent with the ECP’s own record and said the commission had acted without giving the party a chance to respond. He asked the commission to hold an urgent hearing so Awaam Pakistan could present its position before the matter proceeds any further.
Timeline of the Dispute
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| July 6, 2024 | Awaam Pakistan formally launched in Islamabad by Abbasi and Miftah Ismail |
| January 9, 2025 | Party registered with the ECP; interim leadership recognised |
| June 18, 2025 | Deadline for intra-party elections under the original constitution |
| July 17 & Sept 18, 2025 | ECP notices issued over non-submission of annual accounts |
| January 2026 | ECP grants a three-month extension for holding intra-party elections |
| March 25, 2026 | Party submits an amended constitution to the ECP |
| March 26–April 2, 2026 | Intra-party elections held under the amended constitution |
| April 6, 2026 | Results and documentation submitted to the ECP |
| July 22, 2026 | ECP reserves its verdict |
| August 3, 2026 | ECP issues the delisting order |
| August 7, 2026 | Delisting notification formally issued |
| August 12, 2026 | Abbasi writes to the ECP challenging the delisting |
Legal Requirements for Political Party Enlistment
Article 17 of the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees citizens the right to form political parties, but enlistment with the ECP is a separate legal requirement for obtaining an election symbol and contesting polls under a party’s name. That process is governed by the Elections Act, 2017.
| Provision | Requirement or Power |
|---|---|
| Section 202 | 30-day enlistment deadline from formation; requires certified poll results, party constitution, funding details, a 2,000-plus member list with CNICs and a Rs200,000 fee |
| Section 208 | Empowers the ECP to issue a show-cause notice or fine up to Rs200,000 for missed intra-party election deadlines; repeated non-compliance can lead to cancellation |
| Section 202(6) | Gives a party whose enlistment is refused or cancelled 30 days to appeal before the Supreme Court |
Background: A Party Born Out of a PML-N Split
Awaam Pakistan was launched on July 6, 2024, by Abbasi and former finance minister Miftah Ismail, both of whom had left the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). At the launch, the party positioned itself around economic reforms, constitutionalism and governance, presenting itself as an alternative to Pakistan’s dynastic party structures.
Abbasi serves as Awaam Pakistan’s president, with Ismail as secretary-general. The party contests under a clock-tower election symbol. When it was enlisted in January 2025, the total number of ECP-registered political parties in the country stood at 168.
The action against Awaam Pakistan is not an isolated case. According to the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), an independent election-monitoring body, the ECP cancelled the enlistment of three political parties in 2025 for missing intra-party election deadlines, even as it enlisted ten new parties over the same period.
What Happens Next
The ECP has not publicly responded to Abbasi’s request for an urgent hearing. Unless the commission restores the party’s enlistment, Awaam Pakistan cannot contest elections, including any by-elections or the next general election, under its name and symbol until it re-registers, which would require fresh intra-party polls acceptable to the commission.
Should the ECP decline to reconsider, Awaam Pakistan retains the option under Section 202(6) of the Elections Act to appeal the cancellation before the Supreme Court within 30 days of the order.
Leave a Reply