Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has officially withdrawn its petition from the Supreme Court in which it sought a level playing field in the upcoming general elections.
The party’s decision was revealed during the hearing on Monday, after counsel Latif Khosa conveyed the PTI’s intention to pursue the matter through what he referred to as the “court of 250 million people.”
The three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and including Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Musarrat Hilali, presided over the hearing.
During the proceedings, Khosa gave words to PTI’s discontent, claiming that the court had deprived the party of 230 seats through a previous judgment.
“We do not want to fight this case in your [Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa’s] court. Thank you very much,” said Khosa.
He highlighted the alleged humiliation faced by the party, citing instances where symbols like glass, eggplant, and a bowl were assigned to PTI candidates.
CJP Qazi Faez Isa inquired whether the PTI intended to pursue the case, to which Khosa responded that he had been instructed to withdraw the application. “We came to you for a level playing field for fair and transparent elections,” he remarked.
Chief Justice Isa reminded the PTI that the court had repeatedly sought evidence of intra-party elections, emphasizing that the judges should not be held responsible for the verdict.
He asserted that the court’s role is to ensure elections are conducted within the confines of the law, and if the PTI disliked the decision, they should consider legislative changes.
Khosa argued that the court’s decision would undermine democracy and claimed that the PTI was being pushed out of parliamentary politics. He disclosed that the party’s leaders would now participate in elections as independent candidates.
“You are destroying all the institutions of Pakistan,” the CJP told Khosa.
Meanwhile, Justice Musarrat Hilali raised reservations over the ECP’s conduct and its handling of matters related to PTI ahead of the polls on February 8.
“The Election Commission is not fair. It is running behind one party,” she remarked during the hearing, asking whether the electoral body can see any other parties or not. “Does the Election Commission not see other parties?”
The Supreme Court had previously revoked PTI’s cricket bat symbol, citing irregularities in the party’s internal elections held in the preceding year. The court asserted that the PTI failed to comply with the Election Commission of Pakistan’s directive to conduct intra-party polls in 2021.
