Declaring the intra-party elections null and void, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled on Friday that former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would not be allowed to retain its electoral symbol of ‘bat’ for the February 8 general election.
The ECP announced the reserved verdict a day after the Peshawar High Court (PHC) directed it to decide on PTI’s intra-party polls and electoral symbol by today in “accordance with the law”.
The development came hours after PTI representatives met ECP officials after the Supreme Court’s order for the ECP to address the party’s concerns regarding a lack of a level playing field in the run up to the general elections of February 8, 2024. According to the PTI, the ECP had assured its delegation that it would address its grievances.
Setting a new precedence, the ECP had taken notice of the PTI’s intra-party in which Barrister Gohar Ali Khan was easily elected as the party’s new chairman. The polls were held on December 3, days after the ECP declared as null and void the intra-party polls held in June 2022, giving the PTI 20 days to hold fresh elections or be ready to become ineligible for the poll symbol.
