On Monday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced its intention to challenge the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision deeming its intra-party polls unconstitutional and revoking the party’s iconic ‘bat’ symbol. This move is set to take place in the Peshawar High Court on Tuesday.
The ECP nullified the PTI’s internal elections for the second time within a month, where Barrister Gohar Ali Khan had been elected as the new chairman. The ECP’s ruling, based on a microscopic examination of the party’s internal workings, rendered PTI ineligible for an election symbol for the upcoming general elections.
The ECP’s 11-page order stated that PTI had not complied with directives and failed to conduct intra-party elections according to its constitution and relevant electoral laws. The PTI, however, rejected the decision, labeling it as part of the “famous London Plan” and an attempt to prevent the party from participating in the elections.
The party expressed confidence in winning the general elections and declared its intention to appeal the decision at every available forum. The PTI insisted that its candidates would contest the polls with the ‘bat’ symbol despite the ECP’s ruling.
PTI lawyer and central information secretary Mohammad Muazzam Butt announced that the party would file a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court on December 26. He argued that the ECP’s decision was legally flawed and accused the commission of failing to deliver justice.
Butt further claimed that the petitions against PTI’s internal elections were filed with malicious intent and on the orders of certain individuals. He asserted that the party was not provided a fair playing field, and efforts were being made to exclude them from the polls.
In an interview , PTI lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha stated that the party would approach the Peshawar High Court instead of the Islamabad High Court. He questioned the fairness of elections when the ‘bat’ symbol was taken away, emphasizing that this violated the rights of a significant political party’s voters.
Experts criticized both PTI and the ECP for their perceived contradictory behavior. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, head of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat), suggested that PTI should have been more cautious in conducting its intra-party polls. He also criticized the ECP for not treating all parties impartially, citing instances of inconsistent actions.
In conclusion, the PTI’s decision to challenge the ECP’s ruling in the Peshawar High Court reflects the ongoing legal and political tensions surrounding the party’s internal elections and symbol allocation.
