Pakistan’s election watchdog has warned Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan that it could lose its election symbol after the party missed an extended deadline to hold intra-party elections, issuing a show-cause notice that gives MQM-P 14 days to explain the delay.
An election symbol is how voters identify a party on the ballot, so losing the kite symbol would strike at MQM-P’s identity in Karachi, where the party draws most of its support, and would force its candidates to contest under a different arrangement at the next general election.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the notice was issued on October 26, after MQM-P failed to hold its intra-party elections by the extended deadline of October 15, 2026.
The commission said regular elections of office-bearers are a mandatory legal requirement for all political parties under the Elections Act, 2017, and warned that failure to comply could render MQM-P ineligible for an election symbol.
Parties are also required to submit an election certificate to the commission within seven days of holding intra-party elections, according to the notice reported by multiple Pakistani outlets.
The Express Tribune reported that Director General Political Finance Masood Sherwani informed the relevant bench that MQM-P last conducted intra-party elections on October 16, 2021, while under its own constitution fresh elections were required by October 16, 2025.
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| October 16, 2021 | MQM-P last held intra-party elections, according to the ECP bench briefing |
| October 16, 2025 | Date by which fresh elections were required under the party constitution |
| October 15, 2026 | Extended ECP deadline for intra-party elections, missed by MQM-P |
| October 26, 2026 | ECP issued the show-cause notice |
| 14 days from notice | Time given to MQM-P to respond |
MQM-P, led by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, is largely based in Karachi and contests elections under the kite symbol.
The warning follows the precedent set before the 2024 general election, when the PTI lost its bat symbol over intra-party election requirements and its candidates contested as independents.
What is confirmed is the notice, the missed deadline and the warning over the symbol. MQM-P’s response to the show-cause notice has not been published so far, and the commission has not said what step would follow if the reply is judged inadequate.
