ECP rejects plea of PTI’s Salman Akram Raja

Rejecting the petition filed by PTI-supported candidate from NA-128, Lahore Barrister Salman Akram Raja, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday said that ballot papers would not bear the names of parties of the independent candidates in the general elections to be held tomorrow (February 8), reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The ECP had reserved the verdict on February 2.

In its decision, the election commission, while referring to the petitioner, said that just like other independent candidates, he, too, had been allotted an election symbol. “But the fact is that the party to which he belongs has been stripped of its symbol,” the commission said.

Two weeks ago, a two-member bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) had disposed of the PTI candidate’s petition, with directives to the ECP to decide on it.

The Supreme Court had stripped the PTI of its election symbol after the latter failed to satisfy the former that its intra-party polls met the requirements.

Resultantly, it was deprived of its right to field its candidates in the elections.

Under the Election Act, 2017, the election commission issues a certificate to a political party only when it feels satisfied that its intra-party elections were held.

This ultimately qualifies it for the allocation of a symbol.

Reporter: Usman Khan