ECP reserves verdict on plea for removal of PTI supremo as party head

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday reserved its verdict to strip the PTI supremo of his party’s chairmanship following his disqualification in the Toshakhana reference.

A five-member ECP bench headed by the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the plea.

Shoaib Shaheen, the lawyer of PTI supremo appeared before the ECP in the case. Shaheen in his arguments before the country’s supreme electoral body said the record of the PTI intra-party election has been submitted to the ECP.

The party has elected a new chairman, now this matter should end here as there are no ‘legal’ grounds to continue this case, he added.

Petitioner’s lawyer, Khalid Mahmood advocate in his arguments said no one accepted PTI’s intra-party elections and urged the ECP to write in its order that PTI supremo is convicted and he cannot hold the post of party head.

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Since the former prime minister did not take part in the intra-party elections, we cannot say anything in the matter, the CEC was quoted as saying. Later, the ECP reserved its verdict on the plea.

It may be noted that Barrister Gohar was elected as the new PTI chairman during intra-party elections of the party held last week in Peshawar.

It is pertinent to note here that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is also set to hear PTI’s appeal against ECP’s verdict in the Toshakhana case on December 8 after it accepted former prime minister’s application for an early hearing.