PTI to move PHC against denial of symbol by ECP

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to move the Peshawar High Court (PHC) today (Tuesday) against the Election Commission’s decision depriving it of the election symbol ‘bat’.

According to Insaf Lawyers Forum Senior Vice-President Shah Faisal Uthmankhel, they had held consultations to challenge in the PHC the electoral watchdog’s decision about the PTI’s intraparty election and its election symbol “bat”.

It may be mentioned that the ECP had termed null and void the recently held intraparty election of the PTI depriving it of its election symbol “bat”.

Barrister Gohar Ali Khan held consultations with former prime minister Imran Khan to move the petition to the PHC. He recently told reporters in Peshawar that the PTI had put together a plan to field its candidates on 70 percent of seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the people were looking to the PTI to steer the country out of the prevailing crises. Meanwhile, talking to Geo News, PTI central spokesperson Moazzam Butt said the PHC would be moved on Tuesday (today) and the petition was ready.

“We will try our best to ensure that our petition is taken up for a hearing tomorrow. We will be appealing to the court to nullify the Election Commission’s decision and term it illegal,” the spokesperson said.

He said the Election Commission issued its directions on the petition of an “irrelevant person” — a reference to the PTI ex-member Akbar S Babar. Talking about the decision last week, now-former chairman Gohar has lambasted the ECP for stripping the party of its bat symbol but hoped that the courts would back the PTI’s plea for its restoration.

“[PTI’s] electoral symbol will be restored,” hoped Gohar, who is also a lawyer by profession. Political analyst Mazhar Abbas had told Geo.tv that the Election Commission has “never” declared any political party’s internal polls unlawful, noting that it seemed like the PTI is “under attack”. This is not the only pressing matter for the PTI. Its former chairman, Imran Khan, is behind bars and he is the main driving force behind the party’s votes.

Although he was granted bail in a cipher-related case last week by the Supreme Court, the PTI founder was arrested in two other cases before that and his release remains uncertain. Moreover, since he was convicted in a corruption case, he has been barred from contesting elections for a period of five years. His sentence is suspended, but not overturned yet.