The Election Commission of Pakistan on Monday directed the Milli Muslim League (MML), the political front of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), to produce a clearance certificate issued by the interior ministry for progress in its case for registration as a political party.
A three-member bench of the commission headed by Abdul Ghaffar Soomro (from Sindh) was hearing the MML’s appeal for its registration as a party.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had last month set aside the ECP decision to reject MML’s application for registration without providing an opportunity of hearing to it. This was after the interior ministry objected to its alleged ties to banned militant outfits.
The IHC had remanded the case back to the ECP asking it to proceed further on the application by giving the party an opportunity of hearing.
During the hearing, the bench asked MML’s counsel Raja Rizwan Abbasi whether he could bring a clearance certificate issued by the interior ministry.
Abbasi argued that there was no requirement for the party to request clearance from the ministry under the Elections Act, 2017.
COURTESY: Dawn.com
