The ECP has withdrawn ‘Bat’ symbol from the PTI, declaring its intra-party election null and void.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Dec 22nd, 2023) The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) delivered a significant verdict on Friday, declaring the intra-party elections conducted by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) null and void.
The ECP withdrew electoral symbol of the party, the 'bat,'.
The ECP ruled that the PTI had not conducted the elections in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan.
This decision followed a directive from the Peshawar High Court on Thursday, directing the ECP to address the petitions against PTI's intra-party elections in compliance with the law.
Barrister Gohar, the chairman of PTI, argued in court that the procedure for intra-party elections should be determined by the party itself.
Expressing concerns about the potential non-acceptance of PTI's intra-party elections, Gohar highlighted that the denial of the "bat" symbol could lead to PTI's candidates being considered independent in the upcoming general elections on February 8.
He accused the ECP of employing delaying tactics and questioned the discriminatory treatment towards PTI, emphasizing that no other party had been subjected to responding to 32 questions.
During the hearing, Barrister Gohar presented a list of registered PTI members and noted that the ECP had issued notices not only to the central leadership but also to the provincial cabinet of PTI. He mentioned that PTI leaders refrained from approaching the Islamabad High Court due to the fear of arrest and asserted that any high court could be approached from the federation's perspective.
The court, after reserving its decision and hearing arguments from the PTI chairman, directed the ECP to decide on the matter in accordance with the law. Gohar, addressing the media outside the Peshawar High Court, dismissed the complainants against PTI's intra-party elections as planted and expressed optimism that justice would prevail in their favor.
