ISLAMABAD: In a dramatic move three lesser-known political parties on Tuesday disowned their ostensible plea to become the namesake of a prominent opposition alliance — Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), leaving many to wonder as to how the application landed in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The applicants, who also sought the allocation of a joint election symbol, included Pakistan Aman Tehreek Chairman Ali Sher Yousafzai, Pakistan Falahi Tehreek Chairman Fazal Aman Khan, and Pakistan Welfare Party Chairman Muhammad Farooq.

However, when the matter was taken up for hearing by a three-member ECP bench headed by the member from Balochistan, Shah Mohammad Jatoi on Tuesday, the Pakistan Falahi Tehreek chairman told the ECP that the parties had not applied for the registration of the alliance.

“We were informed that we had filed an application through a notice issued by the election commission,” he said. At this, the ECP member from Punjab, Babar Hassan Bharwana, remarked, “We did not issue a notice ourselves; someone must have applied.” He also called for a forensic analysis of the application, saying, “You should consult your legal adviser and apologise if you have applied by mistake.”

The bench told the three parties to withdraw the application, warning that action would be taken against them otherwise. For his part, TTAP leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar filed a request seeking the provision of records. Mr Khokhar said that an opposition alliance had been formed under Achakzai’s leadership called the TTAP.

He urged the ECP to not entertain the plea. The ECP then sought detailed statements from the three applicants and said it would issue and appropriate order.

Later, the applicants submitted handwritten requests seeking the withdrawal of the application they claim had never been filed by them. The saga once again showed how easy it was to file a plea with the ECP on behalf of others even without their consent.

Another such example was that of Adil Bazai, a PTI-backed MNA from Balochistan, who according to ECP’s record had joined PML-N. Bazai, who was later disqualified by the ECP for violating discipline of a party he had never joined. Bazai had later been restored by the Supreme Court as MNA.

Veteran politician Achakzai, who also heads his own Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), was made the chairman of the TTAP, weeks after the February 8 general elections. The PTI, PkMAP and Balochistan National Party-Mengal are among the major parties of the alliance. The alliance alleges that the mandate of PTI was stolen and it does not acknowledge the present government as a genuine representative of the voters.

The opposition alliance recently put on hold its countrywide public meetings and protests, mainly, in the wake of floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

Speaking to reporters outside the ECP, Mr Khokhar termed the application a “childish thought”. “Space for the opposition in this country is shrinking and getting narrower day by day” while decrying the dub­ious attempt to steal the TTAP’s name.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2025