No bat symbol for PTI in elections 2024

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has lost their electoral symbol ‘bat’ as Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the reserved verdict on the party’s intra-party elections, ARY News reported. 

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) earlier reserved its verdict on pleas challenging the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) intra-party elections after hearing arguments from all the parties.

Announcing the reserved verdict, a five-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), headed by Chief Election Commissioner, Sikandar Sultan Raja, declared the PTI’s intra-party elections null and void.

Following the ECP verdict, the newly elected PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan who replaced Imran Khan earlier, will no longer remain as party’s head.

ECP’s detailed verdict

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Earlier, the PTI founding member Akbar S Babar termed the intra-party polls as drama. In a video statement, he said that the PTI has put the party and the election symbol of ‘bat’ at stake.

Read more: PTI demands immediate allocation of ‘bat’ symbol

Prominent among those who filed the applications against the PTI intra-party polls were Akbar S. Babar, Raja Tahir Nawaz, and Naureen Farooq.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) then summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Gohar Ali Khan, party’s chief election commissioner Niazullah Niazi, Umar Ayub, Haleem Adil Sheikh, Yasmin Rashid, Ali Amin Gandapur and RO central secretariat Sardar Masroof in the intra-party polls case.

PHC Verdict

Yesterday, Peshawar High Court (PHC) directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to decide the matter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) intra-party elections and allocation of election symbol by December 22 (today).

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had urged the Peshawar High Court (PHC) to direct the ECP to publish the results of its intra-party polls on the commission’s website, an exercise required to contest the general elections.

PTI Intra-party polls 

It is pertinent to mention here that Barrister Gohar Ali Khan was elected unopposed as party’s new chairman, replacing incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan.

PTI intra-party polls were held on December 2 on orders of the ECP. Voters exercised their right to vote through an online app.

According to PTI election commissioner Niazullah Niazi, former federal minister Omar Ayub Khan had been elected secretary general of the party while jailed former provincial health minister Yasmin Rashid has been elected party Punjab president.