In the lead-up to the general elections scheduled for February 8, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision, rendering null and void the intra-party polls conducted by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). This verdict results in the deprivation of the party's election symbol, the bat, as reported by local media.
Following three days of continuous hearings, a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, and Justice Musarrat Hilali delivered the judgment at 11.15 pm on Saturday, responding to the ECP's plea, according to Dawn.
The bench set aside the Peshawar High Court order that aimed to restore PTI's bat symbol, stating, "Mere production of a certificate by the PTI stating that intra-party elections were held could not suffice to establish that such elections had actually been held, particularly when some party members were challenging this assertion."
On December 22, the Election Commission invalidated PTI's intra-party polls, conducted on December 2, while addressing complaints filed by dissident PTI members. PTI had sought relief from the Peshawar High Court against the ECP's order, which, on Wednesday, declared the polls body's decision as "illegal, without any lawful authority, and of no legal effect."
Following the Supreme Court's decision, PTI leaders expressed that, despite losing the party's election symbol, they intend to contest the polls as independents.
(With Agency Inputs)
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