ISLAMABAD – Soon after the Supreme Court of Pakistan restored an order of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take away the election symbol of bat from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the embattled party announced its candidates would contest elections independently.
Talking to journalists at the Supreme Court late on Saturday night, former PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said, “All PTI candidates will contest independently. We will issue a list of all our candidates with their election symbols.”
Gohar noted that the top court’s order was “controversial” and it had “deeply disappointed” him. He added that his party would challenge the Supreme Court’s verdict.
Gohar, who was recently elected the party’s chairman, said that the majority of Pakistan’s voters supported the PTI.
“Whether we have the bat or not, the people will still vote for us […] we are a very strong party,” Gohar added, but noted that it was the court’s duty to ensure that every person’s basic rights are guaranteed.
