Asif Ali Zardari is unlikely to ask estranged Pakistan People's Party-Parliamentarians (PPP-P) president Makhdoom Amin Fahim to put his mandatory signatures on party's annual accounts for submission to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). “It is Fahim's duty and responsibility to sign the requisite documents as required under the law,” a PPP source close to Zardari said adding that he didn't feel any need to urge Fahim to do so. Zardari's PPP doesn't legally exist in the eye of the ECP because it is not registered. Every party headed by a “convicted” leader was refused registration under the law. Since this legal provision had specifically applied to former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, she had got her party registered in the name of PPP-P with the ECP just before the 2002 general elections so that she did not remain out of the electoral arena. An ECP official told Saudi Gazette that a registered political party earns no immediate penalty, disqualification or deregistration even if it doesn't submit its annual accounts with it. However, it would not be allotted election symbols to contest the polls when such stage would come, he explained. He said that if the PPP-P did not file its annual statement this year as required under the law for any reason including Fahim's refusal to sign its accounts but submits the statement next year the matter would be referred to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) for a decision. However, the official underlined that the annual statement must be signed by the party head and none of its other office bearer could do so. These papers signed by the party chief only are to be accepted by the ECP, he said adding that anybody could deposit such documents with it. He said the accounts must be audited by a chartered accountant. This time, August 29 is the last date for filing of returns with the ECP. __
