Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Saturday decided to knock the door of Peshawar High Court against withdrawing electoral symbol bat from the party by Election Commission of Pakistan. After announcement of verdict by the ECP on Friday, the PTI legal team members reached Peshawar High Court on Saturday to file a case. Sources said the PTI had not received verified written order by the ECP so far. The party said it will challenge the ECP decision as it receives verified decision of the commission. The party further said if it does not receive the verified copy, even then it will move the court against the decision. However, the court can object to non-submission of verified copy of the ECP decision with the appeal. Earlier on Friday, the electoral watchdog ruled that the party did not hold the elections in line with its constitution, the Election Act, 2017, and the Election Rules, 2017, and was thus ineligible to obtain the election symbol of ‘bat’. A five-member bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, gave the decision on the petitions challenging PTI’s intra-party elections.

Other members of the bench included ECP members Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana and Justice (r) Ikramullah Khan. The reserved verdict was announced a day after the Peshawar High Court directed the ECP to decide the petitions filed against PTI’s intra-party elections in accordance with the law. In its decision, the ECP observed that “the PTI did not comply with the Commission’s directions rendered therein order dated 23rd November, 2023 and failed to hold intra-party election in accordance with PTI prevailing Constitution, 2019 and Election Act, 2017, and Election Rules, 2017. Therefore the certificate dated 4th December, 2023 and Form-65 filed by the alleged Chairman, is hereby regretted and rejected accordingly. The provisions of Section 215 of the Election Act, 2017 are hereby invoked and PTI is hereby declared ineligible to obtain the Election Symbol, for which they have applied for”. It may be noted here that the ECP rendered PTI's intra-party polls invalidated, and hence Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, who became its new chairman, would no longer be the PTI chairman.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)