Islamabad: ECP Rejects MQM-P Extension Request
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday dismissed the request by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) seeking a two-month extension for party chairman Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui to appear in a case concerning the holding of intra-party elections.
The hearing was conducted by a three-member commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. Director General Political Finance ECP Masood Sherwani and an MQM-P representative attended the proceedings.
Sherwani informed the commission that MQM-P last held intra-party elections on October 16, 2021, and as per the party’s legal framework, the next elections were due on October 16, 2025. The ECP had earlier directed MQM-P to hold elections by January 16, 2026. However, the party passed a resolution extending the current tenure by one year, with elections now scheduled before March 16, 2026.
During the hearing, the MQM-P representative requested two months for Siddiqui to appear, citing his cabinet and ministerial duties amid the “ongoing war.” The Chief Election Commissioner rejected the request, asking, “What war is going on in Pakistan? He cannot be given two months.”
The ECP directed that Siddiqui, or his legal counsel, appear before the commission and adjourned the hearing until April 16.
