LAHORE (Web Desk) – The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said on Friday that conspirators sought to steal the party’s electoral emblem of the “bat” and prevent it from participating in the February 8 general elections.
During a news conference, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan stated that the PTI’s election emblem represented the expectations of the Pakistani people, not only his political party.
In a huge victory for the PTI, the Peshawar High Court delayed a decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that nullified the PTI’s intra-party elections and removed its electoral symbol “bat” on December 26.
The high court ordered the electoral commission to publish the certificate of the PTI’s intra-party polls on its official website “keeping in mind the urgency, that a political party has been devoid of its symbol, implying that aspirants from the general public who were willing to vote for the petitioners’ party have been deprive of their right to vote as per their choice.”
The PTI head said that stealing the electoral symbol [of a political organization] was comparable to dissolving the party itself, and that this authority solely belonged to the Supreme Court under Article 17 of the constitution.
The ruling of the Peshawar High Court was criticized by the PTI’s opponents, notably PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and JUI-F chairman Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
“These political leaders have been trying to take [our electoral symbol] ‘bat’ away from us,” Gohar stated in reaction to their criticism. They understand that if free, fair, and transparent elections are held on February 8, they will not benefit. They’ll all be kicked out.”
Shehbaz Sharif and Fazlur Rehman, according to the PTI chairman, have attacked the judiciary.
He also stated that he was a representative of the PTI’s founder, who he stated will always be their leader regardless of his location.
Gohar stated that the PTI’s election candidates had filed the most nomination papers for the next general elections, and questioned if these election candidates would run as independent candidates if the electoral symbol was revoked.
“And if such a situation arises,” he said, “who will be held responsible for the horse-trading?”
Gohar emphasized that delaying the next elections would be disastrous for the country.
Gohar said that conspirators sought to prevent the PTI from participating in the election and posed an open-ended question, “Is it not better for the judiciary to look into this matter?”
PTI leader Latif Khosa questioned how PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, who faces lifetime disqualification, was able to file nomination papers. He described it as the worst sort of rigging in Pakistani history.
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