The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has officially rejected claims made by Hamid Raza regarding his candidacy status. The ECP described these claims as baseless and confirmed that Hamid Raza was declared an independent candidate in the recent elections.
Hamid Raza had mentioned “Sunni Ittehad Council Alliance PTI” on his nomination papers. However, the ECP stated that the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) never submitted an official alliance request nor applied for a unified election symbol. Because of this, the ECP assigned Hamid Raza the ‘Minar’ election symbol, which is given to independent candidates.
Further clarification from the ECP revealed that Hamid Raza declared affiliation with PTI-Nazriati (PTI-N), a political party separate from the mainstream Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Raza did not submit any party ticket from PTI-N during his nomination process, which meant the ECP considered him an independent candidate.
This issue came under scrutiny during a Supreme Court hearing, where the court emphasized that the ECP does not have the authority to exclude any political party from participating in elections. The judges also questioned inconsistencies in Hamid Raza’s party affiliation documents.
Meanwhile, the ongoing dispute over reserved seats for minorities and women involving the Sunni Ittehad Council remains unresolved. The ECP denied reserved seats to the SIC due to the failure to submit the required candidate lists by the deadline.
The Supreme Court has temporarily suspended a verdict by the Peshawar High Court and is reviewing the matter in detail. At the same time, the PTI has sought permission to join the case, arguing that the party and its allied groups were unfairly denied reserved seats.
The ECP continues to stress the importance of clear party affiliations and proper documentation in nominations. This transparency is essential to maintain fairness and integrity in Pakistan’s electoral process.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has nominated six lawmakers for the panel responsible for selecting ECP members and the Chief Election Commissioner. Read more about the nominations here: PTI Nominates Six Lawmakers for Panel to Select ECP Members and Chief Election Commissioner.
