The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has delay its decision on the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) review plea against the single-member bench order from January 26 regarding the electoral symbol ‘bat’ of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its intra-party polls.
In a previous verdict on December 26, the high court had ruled on PTI’s petition challenging the ECP’s decision to revoke the ‘bat’ symbol.
Represented by Advocate Anwar and Barrister Gohar Khan, PTI argued that despite the December 26 decision, it has not been implemented. The court reserved its verdict after hearing arguments from both parties.
Advocate Anwar highlighted that political parties in the court expressed support for the Election Commission, prompting PTI’s lawyer to question the ECP’s ability to challenge the high court’s ruling.
Justice Khan inquired if PTI filed any contempt case and emphasized the party’s desire for the ECP to conduct fair elections. The court reserved its verdict after the proceedings.
Earlier, on December 2, the ECP had invalidated PTI’s intra-party elections for the third time, rendering PTI ineligible for its traditional ‘bat’ symbol. The ECP’s verdict stated that PTI had not complied with directions outlined in the Elections Act 2017 and failed to hold intra-party elections as per PTI’s constitution and election rules.
PTI challenged this decision in the Peshawar High Court, contesting the ECP’s ruling. In the intraparty elections held on December 2, Barrister Gohar Khan was elected as PTI’s chairman, drawing criticism from estranged PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar, who alleged a biased selection process aimed at sidelining party workers.
