PTI leader Barrister Gohar Khan on Monday said his party would not boycott the February 8 general elections despite being stripped of its iconic electoral symbol \u2018bat\u2019. \u201cThe PTI will issue a list of supported candidates, with their respective electoral symbols, within three days,\u201d he said, requesting the nation to vote for these candidates in the upcoming polls. Barrister Gohar\u2019s statement comes after a three-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan\u2019s (ECP) Dec 22 decision to declare the PTI\u2019s intra-party polls as \u201cunconstitutional\u201d and revoke its \u2018bat\u2019 symbol. As a result, the party\u2019s members will now be contesting the elections as independent candidates with different electoral symbols and the party no longer has the right to reserved seats for women and minorities. Speaking to media persons outside the Adiala Jail today, Barrister Gohar said the SC verdict had affected the fundamental rights of the people of Pakistan. \u201cA conspiracy against democracy has succeeded, this is a huge loss for democracy and [this decision] will give birth to a new wave of corruption,\u201d he lamented. He added that even though the apex court\u2019s decision was final, it won\u2019t stop the party. \u201cWe won\u2019t boycott elections and God willing fully participate in them,\u201d Barrister Gohar vowed. He further stated that the party would definitely file a review appeal against the SC judgment, noting that a five-member apex court bench should have heard the matter as the case concerned Article 17 of the Constitution. The article states that every citizen \u201cshall have the right to form associations or unions, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of sovereignty or integrity of Pakistan, public order or morality\u201d. Talking about his interaction with PTI founder Imran Khan, Barrister Gohar said the former premier had one message for all party supporters: \u201cGhabrana nahi hay [don\u2019t worry], remain steadfast and peaceful. Protect your vote and exercise your right on Feb 8.\u201d Gohar added that within three days, the PTI would upload a list of party-affiliated candidates and their electoral symbols on all social media platforms. Regarding the raid at his residence over the weekend, the PTI leader said he was satisfied with the investigation underway. \u201cWe have been facing this, but it should stop now and we should proceed towards elections,\u201d he added. Earlier today, the PTI withdrew its plea seeking contempt proceedings against the ECP for allegedly not implementing the SC\u2019s orders of providing the party with a level playing field for the upcoming general elections. On Dec 26, the PTI had filed a contempt plea before the SC, alleging that the ECP had not complied with the court\u2019s orders, wherein it had directed the ECP to address its grievances on an urgent basis to ensure that the electoral process remained \u201csmooth, open, transparent, free and fair\u201d. The case was being heard by a three-member bench, led by CJP Isa and comprising justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Musarrat Hilali. In its response to the top court, the election commission on January 7 had said that 76 per cent of the nomination papers filed by PTI candidates for the upcoming elections had been accepted, negating the party\u2019s allegations of a lack of level playing field in the run-up to polls. As the apex court resumed hearing the contempt plea today, the PTI informed the court that it was withdrawing its petition, saying that the party had \u201cno expectations from the ECP\u201d and was \u201cgoing to the public\u201d. Subsequently, the SC disposed of the plea. During today\u2019s hearing, CJP Isa recalled that the court had issued directives to the state after the raid on PTI leader Gohar Ali Khan\u2019s house. He further said that despite asking the PTI leader to write a letter in case he was not satisfied with the police inquiry, no such response had been submitted as yet. Addressing the top judge, Khosa said, \u201cWe ran a movement for your sake, sacrificed our blood. If a difficult time arrives even today, we are ready to sacrifice our lives. \u201cWe came seeking a level playing field but you took away the \u2018field\u2019 itself. You announced a verdict at 11:30pm on January 13 that scattered the PTI and took away 230 [reserved] seats,\u201d he lamented. In response, Justice Isa recalled that the court had repeatedly asked the PTI lawyers to show documental evidence of the intra-party polls, adding that the SC had ordered for the general elections to not be delayed on a PTI plea. \u201cOur job is to hold the polls as per the law,\u201d he remarked. \u201cWe do not make the law [but] have it implemented. If you do not like the law, then change it,\u201d he added. Here, Khosa argued that the Awami National Party\u2019s (ANP) electoral symbol had been restored last week without holding the intra-party polls, asking, \u201cWhy was the PTI not given [its symbol]?\u201d The chief justice responded that it emerged recently that the ANP had time left to conduct its intra-party polls according to its party constitution, hence it was given its symbol back. \u201cKhosa sahib, this is not the right manner. You are a senior lawyer. You are damaging all institutions of Pakistan,\u201d he remarked. \u201cNow how can we expect that we will get a level playing field? We now want to go before the court of 250m people. We have no expectations from the election commission,\u201d Khosa said. Here, CJP Isa said, \u201cIf you want to accept the court order, do so. If you do not want to, don\u2019t. Do not put the burden of the Supreme Court\u2019s decision on us.\u201d The PTI leader said that as a result of losing the party symbol, its candidates would now have to contest the elections independently and would be confused due to the different symbols. At one point, Justice Hilali also asked Khosa, \u201cDo you think that the elections are not transparent?\u201d The lawyer responded by saying that they were \u201ccompletely unfair\u201d. The CJP said, \u201cThe court can give orders but not become the government.\u201d He also told the PTI lawyer to file a petition if they had objections on the intra-party polls of another political party. Justice Hilali then asked the ECP officials whether the electoral watchdog was unfair. \u201cWhy are you running after one political party? Why cannot you see other political parties?\u201d The court then asked Khosa about an alliance the PTI had made, to which the leader replied, \u201cThis is what I am telling you; we were not even allowed to form an alliance.\u201d \u201cThe chief of the party with which we allied was picked up and made to hold a press conference,\u201d Khosa alleged, referring to PTI-Nazriati Chairman Akbar Iqbal Dar denying allowing PTI leaders to contest the polls on its \u2018batsman\u2019 symbol. \u201cPreparations are being made to register cases against us for forming an alliance. Your [SC\u2019s] verdict has expelled us from parliamentary politics,\u201d the PTI counsel said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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