electoral laws and submitted a draft of these proposals to the Ministry of Law ahead of the upcoming elections.

According to sources, the ECP has proposed an amendment to Section 208 of the Election Act 2017, seeking authority to oversee intra-party elections within political parties. The Commission believes that monitoring internal party elections is essential for strengthening democracy within parties.

The proposed amendments aim to address issues related to political party registration, election symbols, and women’s representation. If implemented, the changes are expected to make the electoral process more transparent and organized, ensuring robust democratic structures within parties and guaranteeing greater participation of women.

Currently, there is no legal provision to examine the transparency of intra-party elections. The ECP noted that while Pakistan has dozens of political parties, many lack strong internal democratic structures. The draft recommends forming teams of ECP officials to observe and monitor internal party elections.

Additionally, the Commission has proposed presenting these observational reports alongside its annual report to Parliament, which would enhance public trust and promote greater transparency in political parties.

Political parties are expected to react strongly to these recommendations, as several have previously expressed reservations regarding external oversight of their internal electoral processe