PTI decries SC ruling as 'murder of justice'

Gohar says PTI's seats unfairly handed to another party with just a stroke of a pen

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has expressed deep disappointment over the Supreme Court's ruling on vote recount in three National Assembly constituencies, decrying it as a "murder of justice".

Speaking at a press conference alongside party leaders Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar criticised the ruling, saying that it unfairly handed four of PTI's seats to another political party with just a stroke of a pen.

He claimed that his party has been the target of unjust treatment, citing previous attempts to strip the party of its electoral symbol to prevent it from contesting in elections.

Despite these challenges, he asserted that PTI has emerged victorious each time.

Speaking to the media, Shibli Faraz also called into question the credibility of the recent general elections. He pointed out that delays in announcing election results and in the appointment of judges to the Lahore High Court (LHC) tribunal were suspicious.

He alleged that the government was struggling to find judges who would align with its interests.

Faraz accused the ruling party of manipulating parliamentary processes for its own gain and criticised them for using the Senate floor to further their agenda.

He lamented the weakening of the constitution, warning that any attempts to amend it would have dire consequences for the nation.

He also criticised the ECP for its failure to conduct transparent elections, vowing that PTI's struggle for electoral integrity would continue. "We will keep reminding the public that their votes are not being respected," Faraz stated.

PTI leader Raoof Hassan reiterated the party's longstanding demand that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa recuse himself from cases involving the PTI's founding chairman.

He noted that despite multiple requests, CJP Isa has refused to step aside, leaving the party with serious concerns about impartiality.

The top court earlier on Monday overturned the LHC's decision that nullified the vote recount in three National Assembly constituencies where PML-N candidates had secured victories.

A three-member bench, led by CJP Isa, delivered the reserved verdict with a 2-1 majority, ruling in favour of the PML-N leaders who had filed the appeals.

However, Justice Aqeel Abbasi dissented from the majority decision, opposing the ruling in favour of PML-N candidates Azhar Qayyum Nahra, Abdul Rehman Kanju, and Zulfikar Ahmed.

The development follows the initial success of three independent candidates affiliated with PTI.

Subsequently, PML-N candidates sought a recount of the votes. The ECP revised its decision and declared the PML-N candidates victorious.

The independent candidates contested the ECP's revised ruling in the LHC, which overturned the election results in April.