ISLAMABAD, June 28: The President on Friday promulgated the Political Parties (amendment) Order, 2002, requiring the political parties to hold intra-party polls before Aug 5, 2002, for becoming eligible to contest the forthcoming general elections.

The Order, prepared by the National Reconstruction Bureau, was signed by the President on Thursday and published in Pakistan Gazette notification on Friday. This is being considered by political analysts as an indirect attempt to control political parties.

Earlier, late Gen Ziaul Haq had attempted to control the political parties by promulgating an identical law which required every political party to get registered with the election commission.

The law, however, was challenged in the Supreme Court by Ms Benazir Bhutto and the apex court had held that it was a violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution.

Under the new law, the Election Commission will not allow political parties which failed to hold intra-party polls to contest the general elections.

The order requires the political parties to hold intra-party elections before Aug 5, 2002, two months before the country’s elections are due, as required under the Supreme Court judgment in Syed Zafar Ali Shah case.

The law also bars all such parties which remained involved in acts of terrorism from contesting elections. Under the amended law, no political party would be allowed to impart military training at any tier of its following.

The law also forbids the political or religio-political parties to receive funds from abroad for any purpose — not even for managing the political objectives, like funds for running the political campaign and developing the infrastructure at different levels.