MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Tuesday restored the registration of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), allowing the party to contest the upcoming regional elections under its electoral symbol, the bat.
A larger bench headed by Chief Justice Shahid Bahar overturned an earlier decision of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission, which had cancelled the party’s registration and withdrawn its electoral symbol.
In a short order, the court directed the relevant authorities to re-allot the bat symbol to PTI for the forthcoming elections.
The verdict was issued on a petition filed by senior PTI leader and former Azad Jammu and Kashmir prime minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi.
Following the ruling, PTI candidates will now be eligible to contest the upcoming regional elections under the party’s traditional electoral symbol.
Earlier, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission had rejected PTI’s registration application, citing violations of financial regulations and failure to comply with electoral rules.
According to the commission, the application was rejected due to non-implementation of Rule 121 of the election regulations.
