PESHAWAR: On Tuesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) challenged the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision regarding PTI’s intra-party elections and the withdrawal of its electoral symbol, the bat, before the Peshawar High Court (PHC). The PHC has scheduled the petition for a hearing later in the day, with Justice Kamran Hayat presiding.
Barrister Gohar, a PTI leader, arrived at the court by 1 pm, prompting the closure of the courtroom doors to the general public due to a large gathering of PTI supporters outside.
In the petition, PTI’s lawyers urged the court to overturn the ECP’s decision to revoke the bat symbol and declare the intra-party elections null and void.
The petition argues that the ECP’s actions are “illegal and unconstitutional,” contending that the commission lacked the authority to dictate the manner in which party elections are conducted.
PTI listed Akbar S Babar and other petitioners, who challenged the intra-party elections, as respondents in the petition. The Election Commission of Pakistan declared PTI’s intra-party elections null and void on Friday, stating that the party would not be granted the bat symbol in the upcoming general election due to its failure to organize the elections in accordance with its constitution, Election Rules, and the Election Act.
The PTI has specifically requested the court to form a bench of senior judges and expedite the hearing of the petition on the same day.
