The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday fixed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) intra-party election case for hearing. Earlier, the PTI filed a petition in the PHC against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision invalidating its internal elections and consequently barring the party from getting the ‘bat’ as electoral symbol. PTI's legal team filed the petition against the Election Commission's decision. The petition has been filed by Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Barrister Ali Zafar and Shah Faisal Atmankhel. The PTI has prayed to the court, through the petition, that the ECP's decision should be declared null and void. Earlier, talking to media person outside Peshawar High Court, PTI leader Babar Awan said his party's electoral symbol was bat which would remain with it in future too. He said PTI founder had been its chairman in past and would enjoy the same position in future too. Awan said his party was going to challenge the decision in the PHC and would also move a contempt case in the Supreme Court against Election Commission of Pakistan. He said as per the apex court order, whoever would impede smooth conduct of general elections would be proceeded against.

The PTI leader said pre-poll rigging was underway in Punjab against his party. He said nomination papers were snatched from his party workers and leaders. Separately, Barrister Gohar Ali met the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in jail and after consultation, he decided to file a petition in the Peshawar High Court, said the sources. The ECP's ruling, reached through an unprecedented scrutiny of a political party's internal workings, deemed PTI ineligible for an election symbol in the forthcoming general elections. Citing non-compliance with their directives and failure to conduct intra-party elections in accordance with PTI's prevailing Constitution of 2019, the Election Act of 2017, and Election Rules of 2017, the ECP outlined its decision in an 11-page order issued on November 23, 2023. The PTI denounced the decision as part of a purported "famous London Plan" and an endeavor to obstruct their electoral participation. They vowed to challenge the verdict at all possible platforms and affirmed their candidates' intent to contest the elections using the ‘bat’ symbol.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)