In an interview with ISLAMABAD-based media outlet PTI, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan slammed the Pakistan Democratic Party (PDM) for being “too scared to face the nation” after the PHC decided on the PTI’s election emblem.
Among his claims was the existence of a plot to remove PTI’s “bat” election emblem and possibly exclude the party from the contest altogether. Along with PTI senior leader Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, PTI Spokesperson for Legal Affairs Shoaib Shaheen, and PTI founder Imran Khan’s lawyer Intizar Hussain Panjhotha, the PTI chairman addressed a news conference here on Friday. He said that the ‘bat’ was more than just an electoral symbol for PTI; it was a symbol of the hopes and dreams of every Pakistani.
After the PHC halted the ruling of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which removed the symbol “bat” from PTI’s logo, he claimed that political parties were targeting the judiciary. The political figures, according to Barrister Gohar, were attempting to sow controversy over the PHC’s judgement because they were about to be defeated.
Seizing an electoral symbol is the same as dissolving a political party, according to the Supreme Court’s ruling, which is outlined in Article 17 of the Constitution, he stated. “Who will be held accountable for the attempted horse-trading that will ensue following the seizure of the election symbol?” inquired the PTI head. He inquired as to who would be eligible for 227 reserved seats in the event if the PTI, representing more than 70% of Pakistanis, had its electoral symbol “bat” removed.
He argued that the PDM’s top officials were determined to steal the “bat” from PTI on February 8 since they stood to lose nothing in free, fair, and transparent elections.
The head of the PTI party emphasised that no matter where Imran may be, he “was, is and will always remain our leader” via him. He observed that the fact that PTI candidates had submitted the most nomination papers was evidence of the party’s popularity.
Would they all run as independents if our electoral emblem was removed? After the election, who will be in charge of horse trading if this takes place? Barrister Gohar went on to say that the forthcoming elections were the most important ones for the nation and that anything that could go wrong with them would be disastrous. He urged the ECP to carry out its constitutional duty to guarantee free, fair, and transparent elections by treating all political parties equally. Claiming that the “bat” sign was a legal matter, he demanded that the judiciary investigate the situation.
He claimed that, as is their historical practice, political opponents have been attacking the judiciary from the very beginning, rather than accepting verdicts or following the law.
The head of the PTI party expressed regret that they were even threatening the ECP, saying that they were waiting for a response from the election monitor. Adding that the ECP lacked the authority to interfere with the matter of intraparty polls, he stressed that PTI was carrying out the most honest and open party polls in the nation.
According to Barrister Gohar, taking away the party’s electoral symbol is the same as destroying it. With a warning that the economy would take a hit if the election was not free and fair, he pleaded with the people to stay calm no matter what.
The process of preventing candidates from submitting nomination papers or having their forms rejected by ROs is not electioneering. More candidates were fielded by us than expected. The PDM remnants are too terrified to confront the country. On February 08, 2024, InshaAllah, the people will speak, and you will hear them without a doubt, he added.
An urgent and decisive action is required to set the nation back on the correct track, according to Barrister Gohar Khan.Despite the seizure of nomination papers and the incarceration of proposers and seconders, he insisted that petitions had been lodged with the ECP.
As an attempt to derail democracy, Barrister Gohar requested that the judiciary take immediate notice of these illegal and unconstitutional acts that sought to exclude the country’s largest party from the election.
Barrister Gohar claimed that PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi was subjected to excessive pressure during his detention and subsequent incarceration in a chilly room.
The nation was urged to be quiet and refrain from taking matters into their own hands, therefore he ordered the judiciary to investigate. Latif Khosa, who was speaking at the event, emphasised the significance of an election symbol as a means of identifying a political party, especially in regions with poor literacy rates.
His second point was that removing the emblem would be the same as stripping the country of its basic liberties. A prominent lawmaker from the PTI blasted the leniencies doled out to fugitive Nawaz Sharif, saying that our ambassador saw him depart at Heathrow Airport.
According to Latif Khosa, there were two incidents involving biometrics: one involving the country’s adored leader, Imran Khan, who was subjected to torture and tortured to arrest in the high courtroom, and another involving the delivery of a biometric machine to the airport for someone who was not eligible.
He continued by saying that even though the top court disqualified the condemned person for life, their nomination papers were accepted without a hitch. Alternatively, the nomination papers of PTI candidates were rejected due to baseless claims and weak justifications.
The entire world was watching this unfold in real-time, Khosa cautioned, yet this was the greatest poll manipulation in Pakistan’s history.
According to the PTI leader, the monarch’s visit was part of the notorious “London Plan” to impose his rule on the country for the fourth time. He further said that the country’s economy would collapse if the king was forced to serve as prime minister once more.
But Latif Khosa stressed that a constitutional amendment would be necessary to allow this convicted person to run for office, and that there is now no parliament to make such an amendment conceivable.
He bemoaned the fact that the current situation was tantamount to removing the coffin of democracy. The PTI leader said that by pressuring Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the courts were disrespected.
Khosa emphasised the importance of ending stage theatrics, saying that they serve only to ridicule democracy and that tomorrow there could be a lion on the target instead of an arrow. For this reason, he insisted that the people’s elected representatives needed more authority if the nation was to advance.
