ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lost its renowned ‘bat’ symbol as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) made the decision on Friday evening.
This verdict followed the Peshawar High Court’s directive to the electoral watchdog to settle the PTI’s intra-party polls and electoral symbol in line with legal requirements by the specified day.
The ECP’s move occurred shortly after a meeting between the PTI and the commission, prompted by the Supreme Court’s order for the ECP to address the PTI’s concerns about an impartial playing field ahead of the polls. The PTI claimed the ECP had assured them of addressing their grievances.
A significant factor was the ECP’s attention to the PTI’s intra-party elections where Barrister Gohar Ali Khan emerged as the new chairman. These polls took place on December 3 subsequent to the ECP nullifying the previous intra-party polls in June 2022 and instructing the PTI to conduct fresh elections within 20 days to retain eligibility for the electoral symbol.
However, criticism mounted against the PTI as estranged founding member Akbar S. Babar contested the entire process, alleging a biased selection process aimed at sidelining party workers in favor of a select group of lawyers.
Akbar lodged a complaint against the intra-party elections, labeling it as “rigged and fraudulent,” joined by several other petitions urging the ECP to declare the elections null and to conduct a fresh, fair exercise.
Earlier, a five-member ECP bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja had reserved judgment regarding the ‘bat’ symbol’s allocation as the PTI’s electoral symbol.
The ECP’s order, shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), cited that according to the PTI’s constitution, a Federal Election Commission must oversee intra-party elections.
However, the records submitted by the PTI failed to demonstrate the appointment of a competent Federal Election Commission as per the established procedure.
Order regarding PTI intra party election and ineligibility to obtain symbol bathttps://t.co/ligBkvyVfF
— Election Commission of Pakistan (OFFICIAL) (@ECP_Pakistan) December 22, 2023
It emphasized that a single federal election commissioner’s appointment was not in line with the PTI constitution and could not hold power in the absence of a complete commission.
Consequently, the ECP stated that the PTI did not adhere to its directives and failed to conduct intra-party elections following the party’s constitution and election laws.
Hence, the ECP rejected the certificate issued on December 4 and Form-65 filed by the alleged chairman. Invoking Section 215 of the Election Act, 2017, the ECP declared the PTI ineligible to obtain the election symbol they had applied for.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
