In a significant development, the All-Pakistan Muslim League (APML), which was founded by the late retired Gen Pervez Musharraf, has been delisted by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) due to internal disputes. This comes several months after Musharraf’s demise.
The ECP’s decision came after three individuals claimed the symbol of the APML’s election symbol, the “eagle”. However, none of them were able to prove their prior positions in the party before a three-member bench of the ECP, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.
According to the detailed order issued by the ECP on Friday, the commission received three different applications from Saif-ur-Rehman, Jahan Zareen, and Abdul Samee on behalf of the APML, requesting the allocation of the “Eagle” symbol for the upcoming general election.
However, since there were no elected office-bearers in line with the party’s constitution and the provisions of the 2017 Act, the APML failed to provide valid consolidated statements of accounts for the past four years, as required by Article 17(3) of the Constitution and Section 210 of the 2017 Act, as stated by the ECP.
This decision by the ECP effectively removes the APML from the list of registered political parties in Pakistan.