On Thursday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) made a significant announcement, revealing its plans to conduct intra-party elections on March 3. This decision was prompted by the Supreme Court’s recent action, which involved stripping the PTI of its iconic bat symbol and endorsing the electoral authority’s decisive stance.
The designated polling venues include the party’s central office and all four provincial secretariats. As per the outlined schedule, aspiring candidates have a window to submit their nomination papers on February 23 and 24, with scrutiny slated for February 25 and decisions on the papers expected by February 27.
This development follows a series of legal maneuvers in January, where the Supreme Court overturned the Peshawar High Court’s order reinstating the “bat” as the PTI’s electoral symbol.
Instead, the apex court upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s ruling from December 23, which nullified the PTI’s intra-party elections. The three-member Supreme Court bench, comprising CJP Isa, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, and Justice Musrat Hilali, pronounced this consequential decision on January 12, 2024.
The verdict has elicited concerns from various quarters, including experts and journalists. Notably, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan expressed apprehensions, emphasizing that depriving a political party of its electoral symbol not only hampers its participation in elections but also effectively disenfranchises its voters, who rely on these symbols to make informed choices about their representatives. The unfolding political dynamics underscore the significance of these developments in shaping the future trajectory of the PTI.
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