The Milli Muslim League (MML) on Thursday approached the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the suspension of registration of all political parties failing to follow the provisions of the recently enacted Elections Act 2017.

The petition submitted by Advocate Rizwan Abbasi, on behalf of MML Spokesman Haq Nawaz Ghumman, argues that the Elections Act requires political parties to submit a Rs200,000 registration fee and a list of 2,000 members with their National Identity Card (CNIC) numbers.

The deadline for this submission ended on December 2 but none of the registered political parties obliged by the rules and should, therefore, be suspended, the petition maintained.

The MML said that the lawmakers belonging to these parties should also immediately be de-notified following the cancellation of registration as they will automatically cease to hold their seats.

Earlier this year, the ECP rejected MML's bid for registration as a political party after the Interior Ministry objected to its ties to banned militant outfits. The MML — the Jamaatud Dawa's political front — has moved the Islamabad High Court against the decision.