Skip to main content

Imran Khan's Party Wins Back Cricket 'Bat' Symbol Ahead Of Polls

Imran Khan's Party Wins Back Cricket 'Bat' Symbol Ahead Of Polls

A two-member bench termed the ECP's decision "incorrect". (File)

In a major relief for Imran Khan's party ahead of the general elections, a high court in Pakistan on Wednesday declared as unconstitutional the election commission's decision revoking the jailed former premier's party's cricket 'bat' electoral symbol and rejecting its organisational polls.

The Peshawar High Court directed the electoral body to return the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party its iconic cricket 'bat' electoral symbol back and upload the party's certificate of internal elections on its website, Dawn newspaper reported.

The decision comes shortly after the party withdrew from the Supreme Court its appeal seeking the restoration of its electoral symbol.

On December 22, the Election Commission of Pakistan decided against letting PTI retain its electoral symbol for the February 8 election, saying that it had failed to hold intra-party polls under its current Constitution and election laws.

A two-member PHC bench comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Arshad Ali termed the ECP's decision "incorrect".

The PTI had approached the PHC against the ECP order on December 26 and a single-member bench restored the electoral symbol of the party till January 9.

On December 30, the electoral watchdog filed a review petition in the PHC, arguing that the court had overstepped its jurisdiction. Days later, in a major blow for the PTI, the high court restored the ECP order, stripping the party of its symbol again. Subsequently, the PTI moved the Supreme Court against the restoration of the ECP ruling.

A day earlier, PTI counsel Barrister Ali Zafar had argued before the PHC that the electoral watchdog was "only a record keeper" and did not have the power to "snatch a party's electoral symbol".

After marathon arguments advanced by lawyers representing the PTI and the ECP for almost five hours, the bench had adjo­u­rned the hearing till Wednesday.

Justices Anwar and Ali presided over the hearing, where counsels of those challenging the PTI's intra-party polls were to present their arguments.

Speaking to the media outside the PHC after the announcement of the verdict, PTI counsel Zafar said, "Now, no one can stop PTI from winning these elections." Hailing the decision, the PTI Senator said PHC kept its tradition of announcing decisions as per law.

"Court has ordered to restore PTI's bat symbol and upload intra-party polls results on its website immediately," he added.

The court has annulled the decision to take away PTI's electoral symbol. "It was a conspiracy against the PTI to deprive it of the bat symbol," said Barrister Zafar.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Adblock test (Why?)



from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/9BrjDkO https://ift.tt/81FhLTB
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

US Defense Chief Austin To Make 'Full Recovery' From Cancer: Doctors

Austin, a 70-year-old career soldier, initially underwent minor surgery to treat cancer on December 22. Washington: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is likely to make a "full recovery" from prostate cancer and his prognosis is "excellent," two doctors said after he was seen at Walter Reed hospital for a follow-up appointment. Austin controversially kept US President Joe Biden in the dark about the cancer diagnosis for weeks, and did not inform either the commander-in-chief or Congress until days after he was hospitalized on January 1 for complications from his treatment. "Secretary Austin was seen today at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for a scheduled post-prostatectomy surveillance appointment," the doctors said in a statement released by the Pentagon. "He continues to recover well and is expected to make a full recovery. Secretary Austin's prostate cancer was treated early and effectively, and his prognosis is excellent,...

Republic Day Updates: Macron Chief Guest As Delhi Hosts Parade Amid Dense Fog

Adblock test (Why?) from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/yqj8XDV https://ift.tt/zHpGab4 via IFTTT

North Korea Says It Tested New Strategic Cruise Missile

North Korea test-fired a new generation of strategic cruise missile on Wednesday. (Representational) Seoul: North Korea fired several cruise missiles towards the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, Seoul's military said, the latest in a series of tension-raising moves by the nuclear-armed state. Hours later, North Korea appeared to confirm the firing, saying it had carried out its first test of a new generation of strategic cruise missiles it is developing, the Pulhwasal-3-31. Pyongyang has accelerated weapons testing in the new year, including tests of what it called an "underwater nuclear weapon system" and a solid-fuelled hypersonic ballistic missile. "Our military detected several cruise missiles launched by North Korea towards the Yellow Sea at around 7:00 am today," the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Unlike their ballistic counterparts, the testing of cruise missiles is not banned under current UN sanctions against Pyongyang. Cruise...