Bat symbol: PTI Challenges PHC verdict in Supreme Court

The PTI has prayed to the apex court that the verdict of the Peshawar High Court should be declared null and void.

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The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday revoked the stay order granted by its single-member bench, restoring the ECP decision to declare PTI intra-party polls null and void and stripping it of its election symbol — bat.

A single-member bench comprising Justice Ejaz Khan announced the reserved verdict that the court had reserved earlier in the day.

ECP’s lawyer Sikander Bashir Mohmand and PTI’s legal team comprising Advocates Shah Faisal Uthmankhel and Qazi Anwar appeared in the courtroom.

The electoral body had filed a review petition at the high court against its December 26 decision which had suspended the ECP’s order and restored the party’s ‘bat’ symbol till a final decision on the matter.

The ECP, in its order, had declared PTI’s intra-party polls “illegal” and stripped it of using the ‘bat’ symbol. Following its order, the former ruling party approached the PHC seeking to restore its party symbol ahead of the general elections slated for February 8.

In its petition, the ECP then requested the court to review the PTI’s intra-party elections and its decision related to the election symbol.

A day earlier, the court heard the arguments of the ECP’s counsel and then adjourned the hearing till today (Wednesday).

The hearing
At the outset of the hearing, Advocate Anwar said that he, along with Barrister Gohar Khan, will represent the PTI in this case.