ISLAMABAD: The core committee of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday demanded Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce election schedule as general elections have already been announced on February 08 next year.

The committee dispelled the impression by certain political parties that it wants to delay the poll, and pressed for holding free, fair, and transparent elections on Feb 08 at “all costs”.

The committee reiterated that judicial officers be deployed as returning officers to ensure transparent elections.

The meeting also reaffirmed that there would be no compromise on its election symbol of “bat”, as ‘delay tactics’ by the top electoral body to deprive the party of its election symbol would be resisted tooth nail.

It called upon the ECP not to act as a silent spectator over the illegal arrests and crackdown of PTI leaders and workers with polls hardly a few months away.

The committee also distanced completely itself from the malicious campaign against “state institutions and personalities”, saying it has nothing to do with such things, adding there is no room for individuals involved in running malicious campaign against state institutions or personalities.

It also detached itself from social media posts of a Salman Ahmed, a US-based supporter of incarcerated PTI founding chairman, saying the party is not responsible for what they are doing.

The committee strongly condemned ‘custodial torture’ of PTI leaders, Amjad Niazi and Tanveer Butt after their ‘abduction’ to record their statements under duress and coercion, saying this heinous crime must come to an end.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023