PESHAWAR: Central Senior Vice President Awami National Party (ANP) Ameer Haider Khan Hoti Tuesday expressed fear that the electoral body may snatch his party’s electoral symbol also in a balancing act to prove another judgment right.
The ANP leader’s comments came after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reserved its verdict on the party’s request for the grant of six months to hold intra-party polls, risking the possibility of losing its election symbol ‘lantern’.
It is to note that the ECP had earlier deemed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) intra-party polls “unconstitutional” and revoked its claim on the iconic electoral symbol, ‘Bat’.
“May Allah prove it wrong, but they [ECP] might take a decision against the ANP to prove a previous judgment right,” said Ameer Haider Hoti in a speech.
The ANP leader said some secrets better be kept confidential as they wanted to forget them. However, he requested the concerned quarters that whatever the decision is taken [on their intra-party polls], it should be in accordance with the law and the Constitution of the country.
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“According to the law, the intra-party elections have to be held within five years and their five years for the elections will complete in May 2024,” he added.
Hoti said they would not forget if new wounds were inflicted on them.
On December 22, a five-member ECP bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, heard the ANP intra-party polls case.
ANP Secretary General Mian Iftikhar Hussain appeared before the bench and informed that the last election of ANP was held back in May 2019 and that the term of their intra-party election was four years. Accordingly, the party’s election was to be held in May this year, he had said.
It is to mention here that a certificate about a political party’s intra-party polls is the pre-requisite for qualifying for the allotment of election symbol.
