PTI accuses other political parties of ‘attacking’ judiciary

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan on Friday asserted that political parties were ‘attacking’ the judiciary after the Peshawar High Court (PHC) suspended the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict, stripping PTI of its symbol – “bat”, ARY News reported.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad today, Gohar Khan claimed that PTI’s electoral symbol – the bat – was not just its electoral symbol but was also the symbol of the nation’s expectations.

He alleged that conspiracies were being hatched to strip PTI of its electoral symbol and exclude the party from the February 8 general elections. “The Supreme Court had settled that snatching the symbol is equivalent to dissolving a political party,” he added.

The lawyer claimed that other political parties won’t be able to gain anything on February 8. “They [political parties] will all lose their seats if transparent elections are conducted,” he added.

He warned that the upcoming elections were the most crucial for the country and derailing them would result in a huge loss for the country, alleging that other political leaders had attacked the judiciary.

Gohar Khan pointed out that the highest number of nomination papers had been filed by PTI candidates. “If you take away our electoral symbol, will all of them contest as independent candidates?” he said, adding that who will be responsible for horse-trading after the polls?”

On Dec 22, the electoral watchdog stripped Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of its electoral symbol “bat’” symbol in a decision on founding member Akbar S Babar’s petition challenging the intra-party elections to be in line with the rules.

The PTI later filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) earlier today challenging the ECP’s decision.

Following the hearing, the PHC suspended the ECP’s decision nullifying PTI’s intra-party polls and restored the party’s electoral symbol.

PHC Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel announced the verdict after reserving his order on a PTI petition against the ECP decision.

“After hearing the arguments from both sides, this Court reached to a conclusion that as elections are scheduled to be held on 08 February, 2024 and last date for allotment of election symbols is 13th January, 2024, so keeping in view the urgency, that a political party has been denuded of its symbol, meaning thereby that aspirants from the general public who were willing to vote for the petitioners’ party were divested of their right to vote as per their choice,” said the written order issued by PHC.

“The office is directed to give notices to all the respondents for 09.01.2024. In the meanwhile, the impugned order dated 22.12.2023 is suspended with further direction to the Election Commission to publish the certificate on its website and restore the election symbol of PTL This order will be operative till 09.01.2024.”