Khan’s get together claimed the election physique’s transfer was geared toward stopping him from contesting the February 8 polls.
A court docket in Pakistan has dominated that former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s get together can contest elections utilizing its cricket bat emblem – a reduction for the jailed opposition chief prematurely of nationwide elections.
The Excessive Courtroom within the northwestern metropolis of Peshawar on Tuesday suspended final week’s order by the Election Fee of Pakistan, barring Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) get together from utilizing its election image.
“The election commission’s ruling against PTI, in which its election symbol, the cricket bat, was unjustly revoked through an illegal order, has been suspended,” mentioned PTI lawyer Syed Ali Zafar.
“It has been further directed that our symbol be reinstated,” he mentioned.
In a nation the place the grownup literacy price is simply 58 p.c, based on World Financial institution knowledge, election symbols are important marketing campaign instruments for differentiating candidates on poll papers.
The election fee mentioned it made the transfer due to the get together’s failure to carry inner elections in accordance with its structure.
However the PTI mentioned the transfer was one other jab to stop Khan – a former cricket star – from contesting the election, scheduled on February 8.
Khan, who enjoys help from an enormous variety of Pakistanis, was eliminated as prime minister final yr after falling out with Pakistan’s highly effective navy leaders.
He’s at the moment in jail and faces quite a few circumstances, together with the cost that he leaked labeled state paperwork – a criminal offense that carries a jail time period of as much as 14 years and even the loss of life penalty.
Since Khan’s arrest earlier this yr, PTI has confronted a heavy crackdown by the federal government, with many get together figures both jailed or “forced” to depart the get together allegedly beneath the stress of the navy.
On Friday, PTI mentioned it had filed Khan’s nomination papers for him to contest the final election.
However the nomination could also be challenged based mostly on the electoral fee having disqualified him from workplace over a corruption conviction earlier this yr.