Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) now-former chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan Saturday announced that the party would approach the Peshawar High Court (PHC) or the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision stripping of the former ruling party’s iconic election symbol – ‘bat’.

The PTI will likely be playing its election innings without the symbol as the ECP had a day earlier termed its intra-party polls “unconstitutional” and revoked its claim on the electoral symbol.

Talking to journalists outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Barrister Gohar said that PTI’s petition for regaining the ‘bat’ electoral symbol would be filed on Tuesday morning, adding that consultation in this regard had almost been completed.

Without naming the ECP, the PTI leader said that all of their efforts were aimed at depriving his party of the 227 reserved seats. The PTI leader saw a conspiracy behind the ECP’s recent order.

On Friday, he had said: “Currently, there are 70 reserved seats in the National Assembly. The total number of reserved seats in Pakistan is 227. The seats are divided among those parties who have election symbols [as par their parties’ strength in the assemblies].” The lawmakers elected on reserved seats play a crucial role during the elections for the slots of president, prime minister, chief minister, and Senate chairman.

Responding to a question, Gohar: “ECP’s order is not sustainable. It is contradictory.” He was confident that PTI would get relief when they challenged the order in the court.

“[PTI’s] electoral symbol will be restored,” hoped Gohar, who is also a lawyer by profession. The PTI leader said that his party was waiting for the certified copy of the ECP.

To another query, the lawyer said that the PTI could challenge the ECP’s order in the apex court under Article 184 of the Constitution.

“Imran Khan was, is and will be the chairman of the PTI,” the barrister said, adding that he was fulfilling the responsibilities assigned by Khan. Gohar further said that he would continue to deliver the responsibilities until Khan comes out of jail.

Talking about the level playing field, he said that PTI candidates were not being allowed to submit their nomination papers for the upcoming general elections in the country, slated to be held on February 8. To a question about Khan’s jail trial, the lawyer termed the process “illegal and in violation of the IHC’s order”.

In November, the IHC nullified the notification for conducting former prime minister’s jail trial on charges of leaking state secrets – issued on August 29. However, the special court established under Official Secrets Act had resumed the cipher trial afresh last week at the Adiala jail after Khan was indicted for a second time in the case on December 13. “All this is being done to keep PTI out of politics,” Unfair election would lead to chaos and anarchy in the country, warned the PTI leader.

On her part, Aleema Khan – Khan’s sister – said they were all set to file cases in the US and UK tomorrow against the PTI founder’s detention.