PESHAWAR (Daily Point) — The Peshawar High Court (PHC) dealt a blow to the hopes of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday regarding the case involving petitions against intra-party elections and the allocation of election symbols.
The court ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the country’s top electoral authority, to announce its decision before December 22.
The court deemed it appropriate for the ECP to issue a decision since it has already thoroughly considered the case, according to the short order. Previously, the court had reserved its decision on the filed petitions.
A two-judge bench, comprising Justice Attique Shah and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah, resumed the hearing two days after preventing the electoral overseer from taking action against the former ruling party. On the same basis, the court disposed of the case and directed the ECP to release its decision before December 22.
It’s worth noting that a five-member bench of the ECP had reserved its decision on December 18 regarding the petitions against PTI’s intra-party elections. Thirteen petitions have been filed against the party’s intra-party polls, and the Hum Awam Pakistan Party has filed a plea with the ECP for the symbol of a bat.
Last week, the PHC had halted the polls overseer from issuing final orders in a petition challenging PTI’s intra-party polls. The polls overseer is scheduled to allot election symbols on Friday. During the hearing, PTI lawyer Khan informed the court that if no decision was given by Friday, his party candidates would be considered independent.
In the courtroom, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, who is also the PTI chairman, and the ECP lawyer appeared. Khan informed the court that the ECP did not provide reasons for not allotting the election symbol. The court questioned whether it could issue orders from Peshawar, considering the ECP is located in the federal capital.
Barrister Gohar argued that the announcement for PTI’s intra-party election was made from Peshawar, emphasizing their familiarity with facilities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Justice Shah reminded Gohar of his role as the party chairman, cautioning against making such statements in court. The court adjourned the hearing and resumed after a break, where PTI’s chief began presenting arguments
