The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) retracted its motion for contempt from the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday. The motion sought legal action against the Punjab government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for their alleged violations of the top court’s directive to provide the party an even playing field in the approaching elections.
The party also retracted its appeal from the Peshawar High Court (PHC) in relation to the same issue.
The case was considered by a three-judge panel of Pakistan’s highest court, which was chaired by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and included Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Musarrat Hilali.
Sardar Latif Khosa, the PTI’s lawyer, was questioned by Justice Hilali over the party’s recent announcement of a partnership with another party during today’s SC proceedings. In response, Khosa asserted that the PTI was not even permitted to form a coalition with another political party.
“We came to the top court seeking a level-playing field, but the [SC’s] decision has shattered the party by taking away its electoral symbol, with it depriving the party of 230 seats across the country,” stated Khosa.
Judge Hilali questioned the lawyer further over his claim that the PTI was the sole party the ECP was targeting.
Khosa used the example of the electoral watchdog reclaiming the PTI’s electoral symbol while restoring the Awami National Party’s (ANP)
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The ANP was given back the emblem because, according to the party’s constitution, it had time to conduct intra-party polls, CJP Isa explained to the PTI counsel at this point.
Khosa was urged by CJP Isa to express unequivocally if his party wanted to take the case forward or not.
The attorney retorted that the PTI’s field was taken away by the Supreme Court’s ruling on January 13. He stated that the “election body can only withdraw electoral symbols, but in the PTI’s case an entire party is being banned from parliament” .
