The Supreme Court has resumed hearing the election commission’s appeal against the Peshawar High Court’s decision to allow the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to use the ‘bat’ symbol.
A three-member bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, heard the case.
The Supreme Court had on Friday postponed the hearing on the ‘bat’ symbol case of the PTI till Saturday. CJP Isa had emphasised that the election commission is a constitutional institution, and no entity should interfere in its functions.
A three-member bench, led by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, addressed the case involving PTI’s bat symbol. At the start of the hearing, the Chief Justice asked if the detailed verdict from the Peshawar High Court had been released, to which PTI’s lawyer Hamid Khan responded that it had not.
The lawyer for the ECP, Makhdoom Ali Khan, presented and explained the Peshawar High Court’s decision to return the bat symbol to the Supreme Court.
Hamid Khan requested time until Monday to prepare, but the Chief Justice suggested working through the weekend to avoid further delays. Justice Qazi Faez Isa expressed the urgency of holding elections on time and in accordance with the law.
The Chief Justice admitted to not having read the case file and asked Hamid Khan about his readiness for the case. Makhdoom Ali Khan highlighted that electoral symbols needed to be allotted to candidates the next day, while Hamid Khan requested time until the following day to prepare. He also questioned the Election Commission’s right to file an appeal, stating that it is a partial judicial forum without the authority to sue.
Justice Qazi Faez Isa pointed out that the ECP is a constitutional institution, and if objections are raised on its appeal’s admissibility, similar questions may arise regarding PTI’s approach to the Peshawar High Court.
The lawyer of the ECP clarified that PTI’s failure to hold party elections as per its constitution led to the issuance of a notice by the Election Commission, emphasising the need for adherence to the party constitution.
