Consultation with IK finalised, tickets to be issued in two days: Gohar

ISLAMABAD: The chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Wednesday that consultation with founding party chairman Imran Khan has been finalised and the tickets will be issued to the candidates all over the country in two days.

Talking to a select group of journalists, he said that the consultation process with Imran Khan has been completed about the allocation of tickets and the party would award tickets to its provincial and national assemblies candidates in the next two days.

Gohar said that the party would approach Supreme Court of Pakistan against Peshawar High Court’s decision which withdrew PTI’s election symbol of bat on a plea filed by ECP.

He said that stripping a political of its electoral symbol is nothing but paving the way for horse trading and these kind of tactics would make the elections controversial.

To a question about any backdoor talks with the powers that be, he said no such talks are taking place with anyone, adding the party has no fight with the military or anyone else.

However, he said that the doors of the party are open for anyone as a democratic party, the party does not believe in shutting doors for anyone.

He lambasted the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for its double standards, saying the commission is chasing the fire, as whatever it is doing could be disastrous for the teething democracy in the country.

He said that contempt of court proceedings should be initiated against ECP for flouting the orders of Peshawar High Court with regard to intra-party elections of PTI and the bat symbol.

“The ECP has no power to withdraw the election symbol of any party which is a big question mark on its impartiality,” he added.

The ECP is being used against PTI since regime change, and through it the liberty of a single political party – the PTI – is taken back, which has no precedence in any democracy.

He also criticized the top electoral body for starting jail trial of PTI leaders, saying it is not the mandate of the ECP, but even then it is doing jail trials which is completely illegal.

He also rejected any electoral alliance with any political party, saying the party is sure about forcing its opponents to pay through the nose, given its mammoth support among the masses.

He also reiterated fielding even its Under-19 team, adding boycotting the elections at any stage is next to impossible as the party is yet to unveil its Plan B and C.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024