PTI wins major court battle before AJK elections
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has secured a significant legal victory in Azad Jammu and Kashmir after the AJK High Court ordered the restoration of the party’s registration and allowed its candidates to contest elections with the bat symbol.
The verdict was announced by a larger bench of the AJK High Court headed by Chief Justice Sadaqat Hussain Raja. The ruling came in response to a petition filed by PTI Azad Kashmir President and former Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi.
The court declared the Election Commission’s earlier decision to cancel PTI’s registration unlawful. It directed the Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to immediately restore the party’s status as a registered political party. The court also ruled that PTI candidates would be eligible to contest the upcoming AJK Legislative Assembly elections using the party’s traditional election symbol, the bat.
Earlier, the AJK Election Commission had suspended and later cancelled PTI’s registration due to internal party disputes and issues related to intra-party elections at the central level in Pakistan. As a result of the cancellation, PTI candidates in Azad Kashmir faced difficulties in filing nomination papers and risked contesting the elections as independent candidates without the bat symbol.
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PTI challenged the decision in court, arguing that the move violated the party’s constitutional and democratic rights. The High Court agreed with the party’s position and set aside the Election Commission’s order. The decision is being viewed as a major boost for PTI ahead of the upcoming elections in Azad Kashmir. With its registration restored and its election symbol retained, the party can now field candidates under a unified platform.
Political observers believe the verdict could strengthen PTI’s position in the region and improve its prospects in the forthcoming electoral contest. The court has also directed the Election Commission to issue the necessary notification and update the official list of registered political parties in accordance with the ruling.
