Multiple extensions have been granted and deadlines have been missed, yet the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) appears to have shelved the intra-party polls case against the PML-N. As per reports, PML-N intra-party polls were due on March 22 last year, but the ECP extended the date on the party’s request and allowed it to hold polls latest by May 14, 2022, and submit the related certificate by May 21, 2022. Intra-party elections in most political parties in Pakistan are a mere formality and do not conform to the spirit of democracy. This is an obstacle to the development of political parties in general and for the induction of younger and more representative people in general. It is high time that parties introspect and improve their internal democracies with a special focus on the intra-party electoral system.
