LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has announced a reserved verdict on a petition by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Salman Akram Raja challenging his inclusion as an independent candidate in the upcoming elections.
The court directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to decide the complaint in accordance with law. A two-judge panel headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi announced the reserved verdict.
Salman Akram Raja has challenged his categorization as an independent candidate in the upcoming elections.
Earlier, during the proceedings, Judge Najafi raised a crucial question, asking about the process of printing the ballots. A lawyer for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) responded and revealed that around 80 percent of the ballot papers had already been printed.
Judge Najafi sought to clarify the labeling of candidates and sought information on the design of the ballot paper. The ECP lawyer explained that the ballot paper has the name of each candidate along with the polling mark. The defense attorney particularly emphasized that neither historically nor currently are the names of political parties written on ballots.
In the discussion, the Electoral Commission representative referred to Form 33, which distinguishes between independent candidates and those affiliated with political parties. When a political party issues a certificate, the candidate is recognized as the representative of that party, the ECP lawyer explained.
Responding to Justice Najafi’s query regarding the issuance of certificates, the election commission counsel clarified that it is imperative that the certificate be issued by the competent authority. According to the law, a party cannot participate in elections without an election symbol, the lawyer added.
Salman’s legal counsel Akram Raja intervened and said that there was no dispute regarding the ballot paper and stated that no changes were required in this regard. On January 23, 2024, the Election Commission published a list of political parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the petitioner’s lawyer pointed out.
However, a contentious issue arose when the petitioner claimed that the Election Commission was confusing party affiliation with the acquisition of an election symbol. Counsel for the petitioner insisted that these were separate matters and argued that the name of the party should be written next to the name of the candidate in Form 33 which the voters will see at the polling station.
Justice Sultan Tanveer Ahmed joined in and expressed concern over the absence of an election symbol if PTI’s name is on the list. The judge noted that this would potentially prevent Salman Akram Raja from contesting the election.
The counsel for the petitioner questioned the Election Commission’s decision and emphasized that Salman Akram Raja aspired to contest the elections as a representative of a political party and not as an independent candidate. Emphasizing that the electoral designation is intended for voters to support their preferred party, the petitioner’s counsel closed the argument and left the complicated matter to the court.
