PHC restores Bat symbol for PTI

Peshawar High Court grants legal victory to PTI, suspends ECP order on symbol revocation.

PESHAWAR: In a significant legal triumph for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Peshawar High Court (PHC) has temporarily suspended the Election Commission of Pakistan‘s (ECP) order, reinstating the party’s iconic electoral symbol, the “bat.” The decision comes in response to PTI’s petition challenging the ECP’s declaration of intra-party polls as “illegal.”

The court, while announcing the verdict that had been reserved on PTI’s petition, emphasized that a double bench would hear the matter post-winter vacations, providing an avenue for a comprehensive examination of the issues at hand.

Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel of the PHC remarked during the hearing that the ECP must allocate the electoral symbol to PTI, emphasizing that such a designation cannot be revoked once the election schedule has been issued.

The legal proceedings were initiated by PTI, naming the ECP and those challenging the party elections as respondents. The party sought an urgent hearing of the matter, and the PHC’s decision to suspend the ECP order serves as a temporary reprieve for PTI.

This legal development follows the ECP’s earlier decision to declare PTI’s intra-party polls as “illegal” and revoke its claim to the “bat” symbol. The PHC’s intervention is a crucial step in safeguarding PTI’s electoral symbol, paving the way for a more thorough examination of the legality of the intra-party polls.

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As the court sets the stage for further deliberations post-winter vacations, the future of PTI’s electoral symbol and its participation in upcoming political events will be closely monitored, marking a pivotal moment in the party’s legal and political journey.

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