The Election Commission finds itself at the center of a legal battle as notices for contempt of court are issued in response to a petition filed by PTI. The Peshawar High Court held a hearing on PTI's contempt plea, appointing a 2-member bench comprised of Justice Shakeel Ahmed and Justice Waqar Ahmed. The court has called for responses from all parties involved, including the Election Commission, with a deadline set for January 16. The contempt petition alleges the Election Commission's failure to restore PTI's election symbol and promptly upload the certificate to its website, in violation of court orders. Tehreek-e-Insaf contends that, despite court directives, the Election Commission has not issued the bat mark certificate to PTI, constituting contempt of court.

Simultaneously, the Election Commission of Pakistan has appealed to the Supreme Court against granting the bat symbol to Tehreek-e-Insaf. The appeal challenges the Peshawar High Court's decision, arguing that PTI did not conduct inter-party elections under the Election Act. The Election Commission asserts that the Peshawar High Court's decision goes against the Constitution and the law, urging the annulment of the ruling. In response to this development, an important meeting was convened by Election Commission officials, with four commission members and the special secretary in attendance. The Law Wing of the Election Commission briefed the commission on legal aspects related to the Peshawar High Court decision.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)