KARACHI: The PML-N on Thursday accused the Peshawar High Court (PHC) of undermining the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) authority by restoring the PTI’s election symbol and even questioned the impartiality of the high court’s judge who passed the order, claiming that his relatives were poised to contest the Feb 8 polls on tickets of Imran Khan’s party.

The PML-N, which was recently showering praise on the country’s judicial system for providing “expeditious justice” to its then-convicted supreme leader Nawaz Sharif in corruption cases, turned its guns on the judiciary after the Supreme Court last week approved post-arrest bail of PTI leaders Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher case.

The anti-judiciary sentiments in the PML-N’s ranks further deepened when the PHC on Tuesday suspended the Election Commission’s order annulling PTI’s intra-party polls and revoking its electoral symbol.

However, unlike the previous verbal attacks, which mainly came from the PML-N’s second- and third-tier leadership, this time the judiciary was targeted from the top. During a brief addr­ess to party workers and leaders at a Karachi hotel, PML-N President Sheh­baz Sharif took the opportunity to share his though­ts on the recent developments. “I believe that the Peshawar High Court verdict [re­­garding the electoral symbol of PTI] is a kind of attack on ECP’s authority,” he said.

Questions impartiality of judge who passed verdict restoring PTI’s symbol

The former prime minister also questioned the PHC judge who allowed the PTI petition challenging ECP’s decision regarding his relationship with PT leaders. “We should also keep in mind that in KP, there are several candidates [of Feb 8 polls] who are directly or indirectly relatives of the respected judge [of the PHC].”

He added, “With due respect, I believe that for the sake of justice, the respected judge should have distanced himself from such a bench [hearing the PTI petition] and a judge who is above board or didn’t have a relationship with any candidate should have been assigned [to hear such a case].” He also claimed that PTI founding chairman Imran Khan was still being “facilitated” despite carrying out “attacks on national institutions”.

Shehbaz Sharif, who was earlier welcomed by PML-N’s Sindh chapter leaders and workers at Karachi airport in the evening on Thursday, is expected to meet MQM-P leaders today (Friday) to finalise a deal on an electoral alliance between the two parties.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2023