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The Pakistan Supreme Court will not interfere in the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) affairs, over the row regarding iconic 'bat' symbol of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party, Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa said, The News International reported.
He said that the ECP is an independent constitutional body responsible for holding transparent elections. Justice Isa passed these remarks during a hearing of an ECP's petition against the Peshawar High Court's (PHC) verdict restoring the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) electoral symbol -- bat. A three-member bench of the apex court led by CJP Isa and comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarat Hilali is hearing the matter. Advocate Hamid Khan and Barrister Ali Zafar represented the PTI, while senior counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan appeared on behalf of the ECP. Earlier on Wednesday, a two-member bench of the PHC overturned the ECP decision, revoking the election symbol 'bat' and rejecting PTI intra-party elections, according to The News International. Notably, PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and six other party leaders had filed a joint petition in the high court praying for declaring the ECP decision illegal and without jurisdiction. The ECP, however, approached the Supreme Court and filed a petition for leave to appeal under Article 185(3) of the Constitution against the PHC short order. In the appeal, the electoral body was questioned as to whether, considering the importance of the matter, the high court was justified in disposing of the writ petition through a short order without giving detailed reasons. (ANI) Meanwhile, the PHC issued a notice to ECP on PTI's plea seeking contempt of court proceedings against the electoral body over its alleged failure to comply with its order on the intra-party polls, according to The News International. A two-member bench comprising Justice Shakil Ahmad and Justice Waqar Ahmad heard the petition. (ANI)
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