Imran Khan’s Summons by Anti-Terrorism Court

23

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has been summoned by the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Rawalpindi in connection with the May 9 protests. Khan was arrested on May 9, 2023, and protests erupted across Pakistan, with authorities in Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad is requesting law and order.

PTI workers attacked army installations, including the Corps Commander’s house in Lahore. Khan’s party, PTI, urged Pakistanis to protest against his arrest, and several PTI leaders and workers, including PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Yasmin Rashid, were arrested in connection with the protests. Khan’s party has posted on X, urging Pakistanis to come out and defend their country now.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has challenged the Peshawar High Court’s decision to reinstate the ‘bat’ electoral symbol, which was revoked by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for insufficient intra-party polls. The PTI had previously approached the PHC against the ECP’s decision, and a single-member bench of the high court ordered a temporary suspension of the ECP’s decision.

The PTI has now requested the commission to publish PTI’s intra-party poll certificate on its website and restore the ‘bat’ symbol. The ECP appealed against the verdict in the PHC, which deemed the high court’s interim order on December 26 as an “ex parte order” as it passed without providing a hearing to the commission. The order stated that the election process, from notification to publication of successful candidates’ names in the official gazette, is a time-bound exercise under election laws.

The court recalled the interim order in favor of the writ petitioner/PTI, directing the ECP to proceed with the election process according to its constitutional mandate and Supreme Court of Pakistan orders. The ECP is obligated to conduct a free, fair, and transparent election.