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PTI ‘bat’ symbol case: PHC adjourns hearing till tomorrow

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  • PTI lawyers request adjournment of hearing till tomorrow. 
  • Single-member bench comprising Justice Ijaz Khan hears plea.
  • PHC had suspended ECP’s order on PTI ‘bat’ symbol. 

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) will hear the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) petition challenging its single bench ruling on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) electoral ‘bat’ symbol and intra-party elections on Wednesday (tomorrow).

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. 

Earlier today, a single-member bench comprising PHC’s Justice Ijaz Khan conducted the hearing and reserved the verdict. However, the PTI lawyers did not appear before the court and later requested to hear them before deciding the plea.

After this, the court adjourned the hearing till tomorrow.

The hearing

During the hearing, the ECP’s lawyer presented his arguments and told the court that the body had filed a review plea against the high court’s order. He added that the ECP also issued a notice to the PTI in this regard.

“PTI did not conduct the intra-party elections properly. Questions were raised on ECP’s powers and it was said that ECP’s decision was unconstitutional,” the ECP counsel said.

The lawyer said that the single bench suspended ECP’s order and issued a stay order without hearing the electoral body’s arguments.

The stay order granted by PHC was not an interim relief but is tantamount to final verdict on the matter, said the lawyer.

“The PTI also filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) when you can’t move second court after filing a plea in another,” said the ECP’s lawyer.

Justice Khan asked if there was anyone present from the petitioner’s party in the court.

At this, the ECP lawyer said that there was no one. He then requested the court to withdraw the December 26 order, adding that a bench should be constituted to hear the case properly.

Meanwhile, the advocate general said that the federation doesn’t want to be a party in the case. “We have nothing to do with it, we should be removed from this case,” he added.

The court then reserved the verdict after hearing the arguments.

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PTI presents seven nominations to Imran Khan for the judicial commission.

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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has proposed seven individuals to its founder, Imran Khan, for consideration as founding members of PTI for membership in the next Judicial Commission.

None of the nominated individuals are attorneys; rather, the roster includes four Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and three senators.

The proposed MNAs are Umar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Ali Mohammad Khan, and Aamir Dogar, while the senators are Shibli Faraz, Mohsen Aziz, and Aun Abbas Bapi. Sources suggest that the Judicial Commission will include one opposition member from both the National Assembly and the Senate.

The PTI founder will evaluate and endorse two names from the suggested list, which will then be sent to the Speaker for future actions.

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Miller confirmed that Biden’s administration got a letter from a congressman requesting the release of the PTI founder.

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Following his removal as prime minister in 2022, Khan started a protest movement against a coalition of his enemies led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Since then, he has been in jail since August 2023 and has been involved in hundreds of cases.

In response to ARY News’ question over the congressmen’s letter during a media briefing in Washington on Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “We will respond in due course to the members.”

The United States wants to see Pakistan maintain its democracy, Miller stated.

The release of the PTI founder’s wife and sisters was a result of a meeting between the US Deputy Assistant Secretary and a Pakistani government representative in Islamabad, which was further questioned during the press briefing.

“I won’t be addressing that,” Miller said when asked if the United States was involved in their release. Miller did, however, affirm that the conference included the defense of Pakistan’s basic liberties and rights.

Sixty-two members of the US Congress urged President Joe Biden on October 24 to support the release of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, and other political prisoners.

The congressmen, who included well-known Muslim members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, said in their letter that the Biden administration should ask Pakistani authorities to guarantee the safety of PTI founder Imran Khan.

They also underlined that US policy should concentrate on Pakistan’s human rights situation and asked that US ambassadors attend the PTI leader’s incarceration.

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A bill pertaining to the number of Supreme Court justices will soon be presented.

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), recently met, and the inside story of their conversation has revealed important political developments.

The leaders talked about a variety of constitutional and governance matters, including the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, according to sources.

One of the primary outcomes of the conference was the decision to expeditiously introduce a bill in parliament that would increase the number of judges on the Supreme Court. Immediately after it is introduced in parliament, this law is expected to be approved in a matter of days.

In addition, the recently ratified 26th Constitutional Amendment was discussed, with particular attention paid to creating a system for the establishment of constitutional benches at the federal and provincial levels. The formation of constitutional benches would be the subject of formal meetings, they agreed.

Furthermore, the leaders examined the pending measure concerning the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) municipal authority, which has been sent to the appropriate committee for additional assessment.

They also discussed the implementation of an agreement on Punjabi issues between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). According to sources, the conference also discussed the status of an agreement over fund release and administrative jobs in Punjab.

Bilawal Bhutto was reassured by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the federal government would continue to support continued development initiatives in Sindh.

PM Sharif and Bilawal met on Sunday at the premier’s Model Town home in Lahore, where they talked about the newly ratified 26th Constitutional Amendment and pledged to support Pakistan’s parliamentary system and democracy.

As a historic step, Bilawal Bhutto celebrated the 26th Constitutional Amendment’s adoption during the meeting. He said: “We will work together to strengthen democracy and parliament.”

In agreement, Shehbaz credited the amendment’s accomplishment to the combined efforts of all coalition members. He promised that his commitment to the people would not falter and reiterated his commitment to public service.

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