ISLAMABAD: The PML-N strongly condemned the Peshawar High Court’s decision regarding the PTI’s electoral symbol bat, branding it as “pre-poll rigging.”
The Election Commission of Pakistan had earlier revoked PTI’s bat symbol and nullified their internal elections.
However, the PHC intervened, suspending the electoral watchdog’s ruling.
Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel highlighted the urgency of the situation, emphasizing that stripping a political party of its symbol meant depriving the public of their right to vote for their chosen party.
PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif criticized the PHC’s move as an assault on the election commission’s authority.
He questioned the court’s jurisdiction in making decisions affecting the nation and raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest involving candidates linked to the judge.
Rana Sanaullah, a senior PML-N leader, labeled the PHC decision as both pre-poll rigging and an attack on the Election Act of 2017, citing the judge’s relative contesting on the PTI ticket as a reason for bias.
Maryam Nawaz, PML-N Senior Vice-President, slammed the PHC’s verdict, equating it to an infringement on the ECP’s constitutional powers. She criticized the PTI’s intra-party elections as fraudulent and accused the court of favoring the PTI.
Additionally, Maulana Fazlur Rehman of JUI-F likened the situation to “judicial martial law,” expressing concern over the judicial environment in the country.
Jahangir Khan Tareen of the IPP deemed the PHC’s decision as beyond its jurisdiction, asserting that matters concerning election symbols fell under the ECP’s authority and should not have been interfered with.
