The Peshawar High Court (PHC) lifted a stay order, reinstating the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to nullify Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) intra-party polls and strip it of the 'bat' election symbol.
In a verdict on December 26, the high court upheld the ECP's ruling that removed PTI's right to use the 'bat' symbol, following PTI's petition contesting the ECP's decision.
A single-member bench, led by Justice Ejaz Khan, announced the reviewed verdict on a plea by the ECP against the previous order.
Advocates Anwar and Gohar Khan represented PTI during the proceedings. Advocate Anwar mentioned the court's December 26 decision, yet its implementation remained pending.
During the hearing, concerns were raised about the ECP's ability to challenge the high court's ruling and PTI's stance for fair elections.
The court reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from both parties.
The ECP, on December 2, annulled PTI's intra-party elections, citing non-compliance with Elections Act 2017, rejecting PTI's chairman certificate and Form-65 submission. PTI contested this decision in the PHC after holding intra-party elections on December 2, resulting in Barrister Gohar Khan's chairmanship.
The process faced criticism from estranged PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar, who claimed the elections aimed to exclude party workers and favored a select few lawyers.
