The Election Commission has rejected a petition to register by the National Democratic Party (NDP), saying the party’s activities did not continue after the sixth parliamentary election in 1996 and that it did not follow registration rules.
After the settlement of the application, the NDP chairman was notified of the decision by a letter from the registration authority of the Election Commission on Monday.
According to the commission, the NDP last participated in elections in 1991, and did not take part in 1996 or 2001.
Furthermore, the commission said that the NDP constitution was printed in 2008, and it did know whether this NDP was the same as the one that participated in the 1991 election.
The Election Commission added that MPs elected under the NDP symbol later joined other registered political parties and were elected under the banners of these other parties.
An Election Commission official said that the High Court ordered the commission to consider the matter of NDP’s registration on March 12. A High Court bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Zafar Ahmed had ordered that the NDP be disallowed from participating in the parliamentary election.
