Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan came down hard on the PDM leadership for making hue and cry over the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) ruling regarding PTI’s electoral symbol, saying they were too scared to face the nation.
He said that a conspiracy was being hatched to deprive PTI of its iconic electoral symbol “bat” and even to oust the party from the electoral race. Addressing a news conference here on Friday flanked by PTI senior leader Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, PTI Spokesperson for Legal Affairs Shoaib Shaheen and PTI founder Imran Khan’s lawyer Intizar Hussain Panjhotha, PTI chairman stated that the ‘bat’ was not mere PTI’s electoral symbol but it was also the symbol of the expectations of the entire Pakistani nation.
He asserted that political parties were attacking the judiciary after the PHC suspended the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict, stripping PTI of its symbol “bat”. Barrister Gohar said that the political leaders, whose defeat were imminent, were trying to make the PHC’s decision controversial.
“The Supreme Court has settled that snatching the electoral symbol is equivalent to dissolving a political party and this right only lies with the apex court in Article 17 of the Constitution,” he said. “Who will be responsible for the horse-trading that will take place after snatching the election symbol,” the PTI chief asked. He asked who would get 227 reserved seats if the election symbol “bat” was taken away from PTI, which was the electoral symbol of over 70 per cent of the Pakistani population.
He said that all these political leaders of the PDM would not be able to gain anything on February 8, as they could not even win their own seats if free, fair and transparent elections were conducted that was the reason they were hell-bent on taking the ‘bat’ away from PTI.
The PTI chairman stressed that he was a representative of Imran, who “was, is and will always remain our leader” irrespective wherever he was. He pointed out that the popularity of the PTI could be judged by the fact that the highest number of nomination papers had been filed by PTI candidates.
“If you take away our electoral symbol, will all of them contest as independent candidates? If this happens, who will be responsible for horse-trading after the polls?” Barrister Gohar further stated that the upcoming elections were the most crucial for the country and derailing them would result in a huge loss for the country, advising the ECP to fulfil its constitutional responsibilities to ensure free, fair and transparent polls by proving level playing to all political parties.”Is it not better for the judiciary to look into this matter?” he asked, demanding that the judiciary should look into the issue of the “bat” symbol.
He said that the political opponents had been attacking the judiciary since the last day instead of accepting decisions or adopting a legal course because it was their history to attack the courts.
The PTI chairman lamented that they were even holding ECP hostage, adding that they were expecting a statement from the election watchdog. He emphasised that PTI was conducting the fairest and transparent party polls in the country, adding that ECP had no power to intervene in the intraparty polls issue.
Barrister Gohar stated that depriving the party of its electoral symbol was tantamount to dismantling the party altogether. “We request the people to remain calm in all circumstances,” he said, warning that if the election was not free and fair, the economy would suffer the most.
“Restraining or taking aspirants away from filing nominations or getting their forms rejected through executive (ROs) is not election. Despite all odds, we fielded more candidates. Remnants of PDM are too scared to face the nation. But the people will speak and you will hear them for sure on February 08, 2024, InshaAllah,” he added.