PAKISTAN Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) got a prompt and favourable verdict from Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday, which gave directions to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to decide on PTI’s intra-party election case and allocation of bat symbol for polls, as per law, on Friday. However, it received a blow as the Islamabad High Court (IHC) dismissed the plea of former Prime Minister Imran Khan seeking suspension of the trial court’s verdict in the Toshakhana case.
The decision of IHC effectively means Imran Khan would not be able to contest forthcoming elections but his final fate depends on the judgement of the Supreme Court as his lawyers have vowed to challenge the IHC verdict there. The ECP had disqualified Khan for five years following his conviction by the trial court in August in Toshakhana case. According to some legal experts, the legal team of the former PM made a mistake by not requesting the suspension of the trial court’s 5 August judgement. The team only requested the suspension of his sentence and his release on bail. Time is running out as different electoral deadlines are expiring and the state of confusion would have a dampening effect on the PTI voters. Already, a Gallup survey showed that 63 per cent of the PTI voters would not cast their vote if Imran Khan was not the chairman of the PTI.
