PESHAWAR: Pakistan Terhreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday got back its election symbol of \’Bat\’, hardly a month before the general elections expected to be geld on Feb 8.
The Election Commission of Pakistan on December 22, 2023, removed \’Bat\’ as the election symbol of the PTI on the ground that its intra-party election was not in accordance with the law.
A two-member bench of Peshawar High Court, consisting of Justice Arshad Ali and Justice Ijaz Anwar announced its decision on an intra-court appeal filed by the PTI.
When asked, PTI lawyers told the judges that the Election Commission of Pakistan took action against the PTI by withdrawing the symbol under the Election Act of 2015.
One of the judges said following the law the PTI had submitted the result of the intra-party election to the ECP in seven days.
On this, a lawyer of the complainant said that the commission had to see if the election had been held following section 208 of the Act. In the intra-party election, it was stated that the pick of the office bearers was based on the whims of the party founder, which was against the law.
However, the judge remarked that all major political parties were a family affair and perhaps the PTI was the only party that had brought forward its workers.
After hearing the two sides, the high court declared the ECP decision illegal and restored bat as the election symbol of the PTI.
The court directed the party to publish the certificate filed by the PTI following internal polls on its website.
“It is further held and declared that the PTI is entitled to the election symbol strictly in terms of Sections 215 and 217 read with any other enabling provision of the Election Act, 2017 and Election Rules, 2017,” it said.