ECP files review against Peshawar High Court’s decision to restore bat as PTI’s election symbol

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday filed a review petition in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) against the suspension of its decision to not let the PTI retain “bat” as its electoral symbol for the February 8 general election.

The high court on Tuesday suspended the ECP’s declaration of the PTI’s intra-party polls as unconstitutional as well as the subsequent revocation of the party’s iconic symbol.

The court had also ordered the ECP to publish the PTI’s certificate on the commission’s website and restore the party’s election symbol “keeping in view the urgency, that a political party has been denuded of its symbol, meaning hereby that aspirants from the general public who were willing to vote for the petitioners’ party were divested of their right to vote as per their choice”.

The ECP filed a review petition in the high court today, arguing that its verdict was “against the law as well as against the dictum laid down by the Supreme Court.

“The constitution unambiguously vests the powers and jurisdiction in the commission to make factual determinations in regard to subject matters of writ petition,” the petition reads.

The ECP, in its petition, stated that the high court’s powers were limited to its territorial jurisdiction whereas the PTI’s election symbol was to be allocated across the country.

On the basis of that argument, the ECP claimed, the PHC’s order was “beyond [its] territorial jurisdiction”.

The commission urged the high court to constitute a special bench to hear its review petition at its earliest as the “matter pertains to the national interest”.

The decision to restore the PTI’s election symbol was also disagreed with by the PML-N, who on Thursday accused the court of undermining the ECP’s authority and even questioned the impartiality of the high court’s judge who passed the order, claiming that his relatives were poised to contest the Feb 8 polls on tickets of Imran Khan’s party.

However, speaking to the media outside the court, PTI counsel advocate Moazzam Butt said the ECP’s decision was deficient and that it did not want to conduct free and fair elections.

“I am surprised at the mockery they’re making of the courts,” Butt said.

The Chief Justice of the high court is being threatened within the court, Butt said. He added that police have been stationed outside the high court as well.

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/9C0VOUH

Comments

Ministers rubbish notion that proposed retirement age extension to favour ‘one particular institution’

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday rubbished the notion that a proposed extension in the retirement age was to favour “one particular institution”, adding that the move would be implemented across the board if approved. The rebuttal comes in the wake of media reports claiming that the government was mulling changes to the Constitution to fix the tenure of the chief justice . Currently, judges of the Supreme Court, including the chief justice, retire after attaining the age of superannuation, i.e. 65 years, as stipulated in Article 179 of the Constitution. While giving his opinion recently on the reports of the constitutional amendment, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had said he “will not vehemently turn down the proposals related to the tenure of the chief justice”. Addressing the issue during a press conference in Islamabad today along since Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and the law minister, Attaullah said the extension in the retirement age was “a proposal to a...

The Republican primary race for president in 2024

The Republican primary race for president in 2024 is already shaping up to be a competitive one. There are a number of high-profile candidates who have already announced their intention to run, and more are expected to join the field in the coming months. The frontrunner for the nomination is former President Donald Trump. Trump has been teasing a 2024 run for months, and he has a large and loyal following among Republican voters. However, he is also a polarizing figure, and his candidacy could alienate some moderate Republicans. Another potential contender for the nomination is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis has been praised by many conservatives for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his opposition to vaccine mandates. He is also seen as a rising star in the Republican Party. Other potential candidates include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Senator Tim Scott. Pence is a more traditional Republican who could appeal to moderate vote...

In pictures: Grief in Gaza and the loss of a child

In the photo, the woman cradles a child in her arms, balanced on her knee. It is an image that resonates, as ancient as human history. But in a grim inversion of the familiar, we see that the child she holds close is a corpse, wrapped in a shroud. It is a quiet moment of intense grief. The woman wears a headscarf and her head is bowed. We cannot see who she is nor can we learn anything about the child — not even if it is a boy or girl. Palestinian woman Inas Abu Maamar, 36, embraces the body of her 5-year-old niece Saly, who was killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023. The child is one of many who have lost their lives on both sides in the Israel-Hamas war. Most have names we will never know, whose deaths will spark a lifetime of grief for family members we will never meet. In the 21st century, an average of almost 20 children a day have been killed or maimed in wars around the world, according to Unicef. Reuter...

Infinity Social Updates

Search This Blog