In a significant legal triumph for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday reinstated the party’s traditional “bat” symbol, overturning the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) earlier order that had revoked the iconic electoral symbol.
The court deemed the ECP’s decision as “incorrect” after a thorough hearing of PTI’s petition challenging the annulment of intra-party elections.
The two-member PHC bench, comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Arshad Ali, delivered the verdict after careful consideration of arguments presented by both the ECP and PTI’s legal representatives.
PTI counsel Barrister Ali Zafar, addressing the media outside the PHC, expressed confidence in the party’s electoral prospects, stating, “Now, no one can stop PTI from winning these elections.” He commended the court for upholding its tradition of delivering decisions based on the law.
During the hearing, Advocate Qazi Jawwad, representing one of the petitioners, highlighted the lack of response from PTI’s head office regarding intra-party polls, leading to his client’s request for declaring the polls null and void.
However, the court questioned the petitioner’s failure to call for re-elections instead.
The jurisdiction of the PHC was also raised, with the court asserting its authority based on the location of PTI’s intra-party elections in Peshawar.
The decision to nullify PTI’s electoral symbol was labeled by Barrister Zafar as a “conspiracy” against the party.
In response to the ECP counsel’s argument that PTI sought the symbol after conducting illegal intra-party elections, the court questioned the withdrawal of the symbol under Section 209 of the Election Act, 2015.
The PHC’s decision is seen as a significant development ahead of the upcoming general elections on February 8.
Earlier, the PTI withdrew its petition from the Supreme Court, expressing confidence that the PHC would issue a favorable verdict.
