Peshawar: In a significant development, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) presided over by Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel has suspended the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to invalidate PTI’s intra-party polls and strip the party of its electoral ‘bat’ symbol, issuing notices to all concerned parties in the case.
On 2nd December ECP had PTI’s intra-party polls and stripped the party of its electoral symbol of ‘bat’. Following this, PTI’s chairman Barrister Gohar Khan after consultation with other party members swiftly filed a petition challenging the ECP’s verdict
During the hearing, Barrister Ali Zafar, representing PTI, argued vehemently against the Election Commission’s decision, stating, “The election commission asked for intra-party elections within 20 days, and we conducted the polls. However, the election commission invalidated the intra-party polls on December 22,” contending that the commission’s ruling infringed upon Article 17, which guarantees every citizen the right to form a political party.
Justice Miankhel delved into PTI’s internal rules regarding intra-party polls, with Barrister Zafar explaining the party’s nomination process through a secret ballot. The lawyer emphasized that the election commission lacked the authority to nullify the polls and stressed the significance of the party symbol, especially with the upcoming general elections.
The Additional Attorney General (AAG) Sanaullah clarified the ECP’s position, asserting its right to declare intra-party polls invalid if essential documents were not submitted. However, Justice Miankhel highlighted that PTI had participated as a registered party in the 2018 general elections.
As the hearing concluded, the AGG informed the court that the allocation of election symbols was scheduled for January 13. The ECP’s decision, made on December 22, to nullify PTI’s elections due to non-compliance and failure to adhere to intra-party election regulations has now been temporarily overturned by the PHC. The court’s detailed judgment is awaited.
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