PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) achieved a significant legal triumph as the Peshawar High Court (PHC) reinstated the party’s “bat” symbol on Wednesday, overturning the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) prior ruling that had removed the PTI’s traditional electoral emblem and declared it invalid.
The PHC delivered its verdict after earlier reserving judgment following a hearing involving all concerned parties regarding PTI’s petition contesting the ECP’s decision. This decision nullified the intra-party election and withdrew the PTI’s electoral symbol of the “bat.”
In its ruling, the court deemed the ECP’s decision as “incorrect.” Consequently, the PHC instructed the electoral oversight body to furnish a certificate to the PTI, negating its previous action that had deprived the party of its symbol.
Asserting the PTI’s entitlement to an election symbol, the court expressed, “PTI is a political party entitled to an election symbol.”
The case was heard by a two-member bench of the PHC, comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Arshad Ali, who deliberated on arguments presented by both the ECP and PTI lawyers over the past days.
Following the verdict’s announcement outside the PHC, PTI counsel Barrister Ali Zafar remarked to the media, “Now, no one can impede PTI from securing victory in these elections.” Zafar hailed the PHC’s decision, affirming that it restored the PTI’s bat symbol and ordered the immediate disclosure of intra-party election results on the party’s website, complying with legal protocols.
The court’s judgment nullifying the withdrawal of PTI’s electoral symbol was seen by Barrister Zafar as a conspiracy against the party to strip it of the bat symbol, expressing his satisfaction with the court’s decision.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
