ECP to Review PHC Verdict on PTI’s Symbol Today

News Desk
Islamabad: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is gearing up for a crucial meeting today to discuss potential actions in response to the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) recent ruling allowing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to keep its electoral symbol.
Reports from local media suggest that during this meeting, the ECP will determine whether to contest the PHC’s verdict, which invalidated the ECP’s declaration of PTI’s intra-party polls as “unconstitutional,” leading to the removal of the party’s distinctive bat electoral symbol.
On the previous day, a two-member bench of the PHC, comprising Justice Ejaz Anwar and Justice Syed Arshad Ali, issued a concise order in response to a petition filed jointly by PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan and six other party leaders. The petition aimed to have the court declare the ECP’s order as illegal and lacking jurisdiction. A comprehensive judgment on the matter is expected to be released later.
The PHC order declared the ECP’s decision on December 22, 2023, as “illegal, without any lawful authority and of no legal effect.” The court directed the ECP to publish on its website the certificate filed by PTI after conducting intra-party polls, confirming PTI’s entitlement to the election symbol ‘bat’ based on relevant sections of the Election Act 2017 and Election Rules 2017.
In response to the verdict, the ECP conducted a brief consultative meeting to address the implications of reinstating the ‘bat’ symbol for the PTI. According to sources, legal and constitutional aspects were discussed during the meeting. Another detailed session is scheduled for today, where the law wing will brief the commission, and members will share their opinions on potential options.
Sources suggest that the ECP will decide whether to challenge the PHC’s decision in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. However, time constraints pose a significant challenge, as Returning Officers are set to allocate poll symbols to candidates on January 13, and the list of symbols sent on Tuesday did not include over a dozen symbols, including the ‘bat’.