The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday directed the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) to hold intra-party elections by October 15.

According to a statement issued by the ECP, a three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja gave MQM-P until October to hold intra-party elections.

Barrister Farogh Naseem appeared on behalf of the party and sought a 90-day extension.

He informed the commission that the party was compiling electoral lists and that the process was in its final stages.

The ECP’s Director General Political Finance, Masood Sherwani, briefed the bench, stating that the party was “supposed to hold elections on January 16”.

“The date was then extended to March 16, and now they have asked for time till December,” Sherwani said.

In the previous hearing held on April 7, ECP had dismissed the MQM-P’s request seeking two months for party chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui to appear in the case, after the commission summoned him.

During the hearing, Sherwani and an MQM-P representative appeared before the commission.

Sherwani stated that MQM-P last held intra-party elections on October 16, 2021, and as per MQM-P’s legal framework, the next election should have been held on Oct 16, 2025.

He further stated that the ECP directed MQM-P to hold the election by January 16, 2026; however, the party passed a resolution enabling extension of the current tenure by one year.

In its resolution, the party had written that the elections would be held before March 16, 2026, Sherwani informed the commission.