Shah Mehmood Qureshi, his son Zain Qureshi ,his daughter Mehr Bano, Malik Amer Dogar,Chaudhry Ehsan ul Haq Naulatia,Basit Sultan Bukhari,Aisha Nazir Jatt could not submit their candidatures in Multan division.Consequently they moved to the Lahore high Court Multan bench to get relief.
In several cases, party hopefuls were not even allowed to reach the returning officers, belying the caretaker government’s claim about providing a level playing field to all.
Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court disposed of a petition against an alleged incident of nomination papers being snatched in Mianwali after police denied any such incident.
According to party’s lawyers, police have prepared a list of over 50 PTI leaders, who are already booked in May 9 riots cases registered across Punjab, effectively preventing them from entering the poll process.
PTI leaders told that their constitutional right was being trampled by the police.
On Friday, incarcerated Dr Yasmin Rashid’s husband Rashid Nabi Malik was arrested from the RO’s office, when he went to submit her nominations papers. Mr Malik was injured in a scuffle with police when he resisted to give them her papers to contest against PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.
PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan in an X post urged the ECP chief “to take note and order this madness to stop”.
Otherwise, he stated, “Should we assume that the elections that will be conducted in Pakistan will be the most controversial and rigged elections in the history of Pakistan”.
PTI leader Moonis Elahi tweeted that her mother went to the Gujrat RO to submit the nomination papers but police locked the office from inside.
Mr Elahi stated, “PTI candidates’ proposers and seconders are being arrested and tortured too”.
PTI central Punjab additional general secretary Sardar Azeemullah Khan told Dawn the government was targeting every potential person in the party, nominating them in FIRs, proceeding to block their CNICs and bank accounts or raiding their homes to harass and humiliate family members to ensure they should stay out of polls.
Mr Khan said his son tried to file papers for NA-124 “but a sub-inspector stopped him from doing so and astonishingly ARO Rana Ashraf happened to be the first cousin of PML-N candidate from the same constituency”.
In Lahore, nomination papers of Hafiz Farhat were snatched from his lawyers, while Hammad Azhar’s house was raided and police kept searching for nomination papers.
Jail officials did not allow Hassaan Niazi and Sanam Javed to sign their nomination papers.
In Hafizabad (NA-67 & PP-37), nomination papers were snatched from Imran Haider Bhatti and Chaudhry Shaukat Bhatti allegedly by the DSP concerned. Police raided party leaders’ Deras/outhouses and residences and picked up family members.
In Gujranwala, Chaudhry Muhammad Ali’s nomination papers for PP-62 were torn outside the RO office. Usama Hamza from Gojra (NA-105) was picked up, though he was released next day by a court.
Nomination forms of Zahid Iqbal (PP-234 Vehari) were snatched. PTI aspirant from Pasrur Haider Gill was detained at RO’s office, while police allegedly snatched papers of a candidate from Wazirabad, Ahmad Chattha.
In Sargodha (NA-84), the RO refused to accept the nomination papers of Shafqat Awan. In Gujranwala (NA-77), Tariq Mahmood’s nomination papers were not received by the RO.
In Bahawalpur, police raided the residence of Samiullah Chaudhry and ransacked the furniture.
In Talagang, the lawyer of PTI president Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was taken into custody from the premises of the RO office. Separately, Ehsan Mehmood and Babar Gujjar were picked up.
Police also raided the houses of five other PTI leaders but they were not present at their residences.
No PTI candidate could submit their nomination papers as ROs were not present at their offices.
Insaf Lawyers Forum’s Syed Najamul Hassan visited the RO’s office in Talagang to submit Mr Elahi’s nomination papers for NA-59 and PP-23, but he said he was not allowed to file the papers.
The District Bar Association condemned the move and announced a strike for Saturday (today).
When contacted, the DRO told Dawn that nomination papers of some candidates could not be received due to Friday prayer break.
“Papers of all candidates would be received as the last date has been extended for two days,” the DRO maintained.
An LHC bench disposed of a petition against an alleged incident of snatching of nomination papers from a PTI aspirant in Mianwali after police denied the incident.
A law officer submitted a report on behalf of the Mianwali DPO saying no such incident had occurred. It said police did not receive any such complaint.
Justice Ali Baqar Najafi directed the police to ensure no harassment is caused to the petitioner or any other person seeking to submit the nomination papers.
Barrister Lamia Niazi had filed the petition, saying her father Ziaullah Khan Niazi was returning from the district courts after collecting nomination papers on behalf of PTI’s Barrister Umair (NA-89 and NA-90) when DSP Qaiser Sheikh snatched the papers from him.
In a related development, the ECP has taken strong notice of the snatching of nomination forms from potential candidates and has sought necessary action against those responsible.
“It has been learnt through the media, and various complaints are also being received in this office regarding difficulties faced by potential candidates in receiving and submission of nomination papers. Snatching of nomination papers is also being reported
in media,“ read separate but identical letters sent to provincial chief secretaries, inspectors general of police and provincial election commissioners with the signatures of ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan.
It said the commission has taken serious notice of the matter and directed that necessary action under the law must be taken, with intimation to the commission. Similar letters have also been sent to chief commissioner and IG police, Islamabad.
Despite assurances of being provided a level playing field, it seems the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) will be playing its election innings without its signature ‘bat’, as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday deemed its intra-party polls “unconstitutional” and revoked its claim on the iconic electoral symbol.
The reserved verdict was announced a day after the Peshawar High Court (PHC) directed the electoral watchdog to decide the matter of PTI’s intra-party polls and electoral symbol by Friday in “accordance with the law”.
The ECP on Friday voided, for the second time in less than a month, PTI’s internal elections following a first-of-its-kind microscopic examination of the inner workings of a political party and declared it ineligible to obtain an election symbol to contest the upcoming general elections.
“It is held that PTI has not complied with our directions rendered therein order dated 23rd November, 2023 and failed to hold intra-party election in accordance with PTI prevailing Constitution, 2019 and Election Act, 2017, and Election Rules, 2017,” the ECP said in its 11-page order.
Rejecting a certificate and Form-65 filed by erstwhile party chairman Gohar Khan, the commission declared the party ineligible to obtain an election symbol under Section 215 of the Elections Act, 2017.
Moments after news of the ECP’s decision was aired, the PTI took to X to term the decision part of the “famous London Plan” and a “disgusting and shameful attempt to stop PTI from [participating in the] election.”
It claimed that the party would still win the general elections, maintaining that it would appeal the decision at every forum. It asserted that its candidates would indeed contest the polls with the ‘bat’ symbol, come what may.
In case a party fails to obtain an election symbol through a judicial intervention, its candidates have to contest for the national and provincial assemblies’ seats as independents. In that case, it would not be possible for them to join the PTI, even after winning the elections, because they can only join a party duly enlisted with the ECP.
In that scenario, they may be susceptible to pressures to join other parties, with no fear of losing their seats under the defection clause.
The only way for the party to get an election symbol is if the superior judiciary declares its intra-party elections valid.
Earlier in the day, observing that fair elections give legitimacy to the elected government, the Supreme Court had called for the provision of a level playing field for all political parties, including the PTI, to foster healthy electoral competition.
In an order on a petition, filed by Gohar Ali Khan, a three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah, said the ECP plays a crucial role in the democratic process, especially in conducting elections.
“[The] ECP is to ensure that elections are conducted in accordance with democratic principles and that elections are free from undue influence, coercion, and corruption,” the order reads. It stressed that ECP should also ensure that all political parties and candidates have an equal opportunity to participate in the election process.
“It is important to remember that organising free and fair elections is more important than the results itself,” the court observed. The court directed the petitioner or any other person representing any other political party in the electoral process to approach the ECP at 3.00pm for the redressal for their grievance relating to the elections.
Following the SC order, ECP had assured it would address PTI’s concerns regarding the denial of a level playing field ahead of general elections, promising to replace the district returning officers (DROs), returning officers (ROs) creating hurdles in the way of obtaining and submitting nomination papers.
The assurance was held out to a PTI delegation, which met commission officials on Supreme Court directions.
PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen, told reporters after the meeting that the commission had assured them of action against all personnel and police officers who had attempted to impede the process leading up to the general elections or carried out any illegal activity to create obstacles in the smooth functioning of the electoral process.
Mr Shaheen said the commission had assured the party that all the raised complaints will be resolved.He also expressed hope that the commission will play its role in ensuring free and fair elections.
He said all federal and provincial authorities are bound to assist the ECP in conducting fair and free elections.
He added that the ECP had established complaint cells in the provinces and empowered its provincial offices to take immediate action on any complaints.
