Imran never said he doesn’t trust CJP Isa: Gohar

PTI chief urges the top court to intervene in restoration of party’s iconic ‘bat’ symbol

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan on Thursday stated that former prime minister Imran Khan, who is currently behind bars and entangled in multiple legal battles, never said he does not trust Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, adding that no one should say such a thing.

Talking to the journalists in Islamabad, Gohar called upon the Supreme Court of Pakistan to intervene and restore the party’s iconic “bat” symbol. “The Supreme Court has mandated a level playing field for all political parties, but PTI is being denied," he stated, highlighting the alleged bias against his party.

The PTI chief raised concerns about the alleged mistreatment of PTI workers during the electoral process, urging the judiciary to address these issues promptly.

He said that the caretaker government was no longer caretakers and had become a “party”, questioning how would democracy flourish in the country if such practices were adopted.

Read more: PTI moves SC to restore 'bat' electoral symbol

Gohar said that the electoral process is going on throughout the country but only PTI faced “unconstitutional” treatment.

“PTI workers submitted the highest number of nomination papers nationwide, but during the scrutiny, the papers of 873 candidates were rejected. The manner in which the papers were rejected even surprised the Islamabad High Court,” he added.

Gohar said that PTI will continue the process of ticket distribution. “Regardless of the election symbol, candidates will be fielded from all constituencies. We prefer candidates to contest elections under the party symbol rather than running independently,” he added.

Read: ECP gives PTI 20-day ultimatum to hold intra-party polls

Earlier in the day, PTI approached the Supreme Court against the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) restoration of the electoral watchdog’s decision nullifying the party’s intra-party polls, and subsequently revoking the cricket bat as its electoral symbol.

Filed by party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, the plea seeks to have the PHC’s interim order annulled.

The appeal maintains that the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) application was not admissible in the case, adding that the electoral watchdog cannot be a party to the case. It argues that the ECP’s decision was not backed by evidence.

According to the petitioner, the PHC also did not take into account the facts, and that the legal requirements were not fulfilled before the decision was announced. “Unlike other political parties, the PTI is being discriminated against,” the plea maintains.

The PHC, a day earlier, had lifted the injunction it had placed on the ECP's order against the PTI's intra-party election and its electoral symbol of ‘cricket bat’ for the upcoming general elections.