As Pakistan gears up for the general elections scheduled on February 8, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has unveiled its lineup of candidates for national and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies’ seats from Peshawar. Shandana Gulzar has been named as PTI’s candidate for the NA-30 constituency, with Sajid Nawaz, Arbab Amir, Arbab Sher Ali, and Asif Khan contesting from various constituencies in Peshawar.
Notably, PTI has decided not to field Sher Afzal Marwat in Peshawar, following objections raised by party leader Taimur Khan Jhagra on December 27, 2023. Jhagra insisted that a local leader from Peshawar should contest from the NA-32 constituency, leading to the decision not to provide Marwat with a ticket. However, Sher Afzal Marwat expressed that he had no personal interest in participating but was directed by the PTI founder to run in Peshawar.
Meanwhile, PTI has named a list of candidates for provincial seats in Peshawar, including Ali Zaman, Malik Shahab, Samiullah, Sher Ali Afridi, Mehmood Jan, Taimur Jhagra, Kamran Bangash, Arbab Jehandad, Noreen Arif, Fazal Elahi, Hamidul Haq, Asim Khan, Mina Khan, and Fazal Elahi.
In a significant development, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on January 10 reinstated PTI’s electoral symbol, the ‘bat,’ allowing the party to contest the upcoming elections with its traditional symbol. This decision came after PTI challenged the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) nullification of the intra-party election and revocation of the ‘bat’ symbol, which the court deemed as “incorrect.”
Following the verdict, the PHC directed the ECP to issue a certificate to PTI and suspended the decision to strip the party of its electoral symbol. This legal battle stems from the ECP’s declaration on December 22, 2023, nullifying PTI’s intra-party elections and rendering the party ineligible to use the ‘bat’ symbol, citing non-compliance with the Elections Act 2017 and PTI’s prevailing constitution.
As the election date approaches, PTI navigates through the complexities of candidate selection, legal challenges, and symbol restoration, setting the stage for a closely watched electoral process in Pakistan.
