The PTI’s bat

The PTI’s election symbol ‘bat’ is back – at least for now – with the Peshawar High Court reinstating the symbol for the party and declaring the ECP's order that had deprived the party of its traditional electoral symbol ‘null and void’. Many legal experts have termed this the right decision, saying that depriving any party of its election symbol just before a general election is infringing on its fundamental rights. The credibility of the upcoming elections is already under question which is why there have been suggestions that technical irregularities in intra-party elections should be restrained to a fine or other such penalties but not stretch to taking back a party’s election symbol, which some say is as bad as handing lifetime disqualification to lawmakers. On the ECP's end, it says it had given ample time to the PTI to fix its intra-party election issues. To be fair, intra-party elections in any party in Pakistan are hardly a feat given how strong dynastic politics controls our political parties. Political observers though say that, while most political parties also have sham elections, at least they follow the process that has been outlined and unless their elections are challenged like the PTI’s were by Akbar S Babar, their elections are still ‘safe’ on the face of it – albeit undemocratic as the party leadership decides who will get which position.

Which way forward now? In the grand scheme of Pakistan's politics, it seems we are doomed to follow court cases endlessly: it is expected now that the ECP will challenge the PHC decision in the Supreme Court. One more court case in a long line of cases the higher judiciary is currently grappling with – and the election just less than a month away. If this doesn't spell a contentious election, what does? The PTI will be looking to the apex court to uphold the PHC's decision. The party has been lucky so far with the verdicts and it could very well manage to retain its symbol even if the ECP were to go to the Supreme Court. The PTI has also been fortunate that even its worst critics in the media have been raising their voices for a level playing field in the coming elections. Had it been the other way around, we would have seen what we witnessed back in 2018. It may be too much to hope that all political parties learn from the past – and the present – and see just how damaging this cat-and-mouse game has become: one party in favour, the other party almost on the verge of extinction, and then a few years down the road a repeat. Election 2024 is set for February 8, 2024. The hope is that all political parties get to contest freely, and all get to campaign freely. Pakistan needs to move on from this period of uncertainty. Nothing in the economic realm will improve otherwise.