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In a significant setback for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) just ahead of the February 8 general elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) invalidated the party’s intra-party elections and revoked its well-known “cricket bat” symbol on Friday.
The decision, announced by a five-member ECP bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, followed a Supreme Court directive to address the PTI’s concerns about the lack of a level playing field. The ECP’s written order stated that the PTI had failed to comply with the directions and hold intra-party elections according to its prevailing constitution, the Election Act of 2017, and Election Rules of 2017.
The ECP invoked Section 215 of the Election Act, declaring the PTI ineligible to obtain the election symbol it had applied for. This development occurred after the Peshawar High Court ordered the ECP to resolve the PTI’s intra-party polls and symbol issues by the specified deadline.
The PTI had sought the publication of election results on the ECP’s website to contest the upcoming general elections. In the earlier intra-party elections mandated by the ECP, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan became the new PTI chairman, nominated by the incarcerated Imran Khan.
Read Also: ECP Nears Decision on PTI Intra-Party Elections
However, PTI founding member Akbar S Babar challenged the polls, urging transparent elections and an independent third-party monitor. The ECP had reserved its verdict on these petitions earlier in the week, leading to the subsequent decision to nullify the PTI’s intra-party elections and withdraw its electoral symbol.