Pakistan's Top Poll Body Rejects PTI's Internal Polls, Snatches Imran Khan's 'Bat' Symbol

Pakistan’s top poll boy has rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) organisational elections and its plea to have a cricket bat as the electoral symbol for the February 8 general elections, in a decision that is seen as a major setback to the party of Imran Khan.

The panel issued the reserved verdict on Friday, saying that the PTI failed to hold polls according to its party Constitution. It also ruled that the party cannot retain the bat as the electoral symbol. This comes after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday reserved the verdict after concluding the hearing of multiple petitions filed by members of the PTI against the party elections in December.

Gohar Khan, a close aide of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, lost his position as chairman of PTI, days after his appointment. Khan, being an iconic cricketer, is considered synonymous with the cricket bat. He is lodged in Adiala Jail at Rawalpindi facing multiple cases.

Khan, who has been detained since August, alleges the powerful military is colluding with PML-N and other legacy parties that have long dominated Pakistan to prevent him from standing for office. He has been pummelled by a barrage of legal cases since being ousted in April 2022 after falling out with the top brass and has twice been jailed.

After the ECP judgment, the PTI took to X to term the decision part of the “famous London Plan” and a “disgusting and shameful attempt to stop PTI from [participating in the] election.” Imran Khan’s party claimed that they would still win the general elections.

As things stand, the PTI can either challenge it in the Supreme Court or it can field its candidate as independents. It can also ally with another party to allow its candidates use the symbol of that party for elections. Several petitioners led by PTI’s estranged former leader Akbar S Ahmad challenged the election in the ECP by blaming the party for carrying out a selection process in the name of party election. The ECP panel led by the Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja had reserved the verdict after hearing arguments by the rival parties.

Earlier, following an order by the ECP to organise polls within the party to retain cricket bat as party symbol, the PTI held the intra-party polls, electing Barrister Gohar Khan, who replaced Imran Khan as PTI chairman. Khan stayed away from party elections, as it would have invited a legal challenge because of his disqualification by the ECP in the Toshakhana corruption case.

(With agency inputs)