ISLAMABAD: The electoral organisation is scheduled to hear the PTI intra-party elections case on Tuesday (today), which would be the first hearing of this case after the issuance of Supreme Court’s decision in the reserved seats case, wherein the top court ruled that the denial of an election symbol did not affect the constitutional and legal rights of a political party to participate in the polls.

Before the apex court’s order, the right of Pakistan Tehreek-e—Insaf (PTI) to participate in the elections mainly hinged on the ECP decision in intra-party polls case that has lost its significance in the aftermath of the top court’s decision in the reserved seats case, according to a senior retired ECP official.

“PTI would not be as much concerned about the outcome of the ECP case as it was before the SC decision. Election symbol or no election symbol, the political parties have been duly allowed by the apex court to contest the elections—which means PTI’s one of the greatest concerns related to the election symbol denial has been addressed,” the former ECP official told Business Recorder, requesting anonymity.

The SC in its landmark judgement on the reserved seats, issued July 12, declared that the “lack or denial of an election symbol does not in any manner affect the constitutional and legal rights of a political party to participate in an election (whether general or bye) and to field candidates and the commission is under a constitutional duty to act, and construe and apply all statutory provisions, accordingly.”

On July 19, after holding a meeting on the implementation of the apex court’s reserved seats case verdict, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) contradicted the observations of certain SC judges, made in the reserved seats case, that the poll body misinterpreted the apex court’s order on PTI intra-party elections.

Without naming the SC, the ECP, in a statement, said its decision on PTI intra-party elections was upheld at “different forums,” in an obvious yet implied reference to the related decisions of the SC and Peshawar High Court (PHC) against the PTI intra-party elections. The commission said the bat was withdrawn from PTI as election symbol in “logical consequence” of its decision.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024