The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday adjourned the hearing of a petit
ion filed by the Pakistan Tehr
eek-e-Insaf (PTI) challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) authority to withdraw the election symbol of a political party until June 4.
The court sought arguments regarding jurisdiction from the parties on the next date of hearing. A s
ingle bench, led by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh, heard the petit
ion filed by PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan and other leaders.
The petitioner argued that Section 215 of the Elections Act 2017, which go
verns a party’s eligibility to obtain election symbols, violates the Constitution. It contended that the right to contest elections under a common symbol could not be taken away from a political party’s candidates. It also argued that the ECP, as a constitutional body, is not a court or tribunal, and any power it wrongly ass
umes to infringe upon fundamental rights is illegal under Article 8 of the Constitution.
