PTI withdraws ‘Bat’ symbol appeal; SC dismisses case

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) withdrew its appeal against the bat election symbol, and the Supreme Court dismissed the case on Wednesday morning.

A three-member bench, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and including Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musrat Hilali, was formed to address the issue. The PTI’s appeal was scheduled to be heard today, but the party withdrew it.

Read More:PHC declares the verdict while PTI loses the “bat” symbol

Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Hamid Khan appeared on behalf of the PTI. Barrister Gohar informed the court that the central appeal had been filed with the Peshawar High Court, requesting the withdrawal of the petition due to pending cases.

The PTI initially filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on January 4, challenging the Peshawar High Court’s decision to cancel intra-party elections and revoke election symbols.

While the petition was not initially scheduled for a hearing, the Supreme Court ordered on January 9 that PTI’s petition for the restoration of the bat symbol be heard on January 10.

Read More: PTI ‘bat’ petition is not maintainable, according to LHC

Barrister Gohar Ali Khan claimed that the Election Commission of Pakistan’s application was inadmissible. He claimed that the party was treated unfairly in comparison to other political parties, citing an insufficient consideration of evidence by the electoral watchdog and the PHC before revoking the bat symbol.

The application highlighted the PHC’s misinterpretation of the law, which resulted in an alleged unjust decision. Barrister Khan argued that the Commission did not need to issue a notice in this case, and that the removal of the bat symbol without proper consideration of facts was discriminatory.

The petitioner emphasized the interim relief granted by the Peshawar High Court on December 26, 2023, and expressed concern about irreversible damage if the bat symbol was not reinstated.