ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Wednesday withdrew a petition seeking the restoration of its election symbol filed in the country’s top court, saying the matter was currently adjudicated by the Peshawar High Court that was likely to issue its verdict later today.
The country’s election regulatory authority issued an order on December 22, ruling the PTI intraparty polls null and void for violating its regulations and taking away “cricket bat” as its election symbol.
The PTI moved the Peshawar High Court (PHC) against the ECP decision that led to the restoration of the party symbol. However, the court upheld the ECP order in a review petition, making the party take its case to the Supreme Court while the PHC was still conducting its proceedings.
“The main case is pending in the Peshawar High Court and the hearing was held for five hours yesterday,” said the newly elected PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan while speaking to the media outside the top court. “The judges adjourned the hearing for 9 [am] today.”
“The court observed the decision [in the matter] would most likely be announced [today],” he continued. “Keeping this in mind, the petition we had filed in the Supreme Court against the interim [high court] order became infructuous [or unnecessary] … We have withdrawn the plea from the Supreme Court.”
Election symbols are crucial in Pakistan where the adult literacy rate is just 58 percent, according to World Bank data.
The cricket bat is reflective of ex-PM Khan’s past as a successful cricketer, who led Pakistan to their only 50-over World Cup win in 1992, propelling him to an unrivaled position among the country’s cricket greats.
Political analysts say without the restoration of their election symbol, the PTI leaders will have to contest the upcoming elections as independent candidates.
This will also deprive the party of reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies for women and religious minorities.
Ex-PM Khan’s party retracts Supreme Court petition for election symbol restoration ahead of Feb. 8 polls
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Ex-PM Khan’s party retracts Supreme Court petition for election symbol restoration ahead of Feb. 8 polls
- The new PTI chairman says the decision was taken since the Peshawar High Court was also looking into the matter
- Pakistan’s election body took away ‘cricket bat’ as Khan’s party symbol while declaring its intraparty polls null and void
‘Fully stand with Bangladesh’: Pakistan PM backs decision to boycott India match
- Pakistan’s government have not allowed the national cricket team to play its World Cup match against India on Feb. 15
- Pakistan has accused India of influencing ICC decisions, criticized global cricket body for replacing Bangladesh in World Cup
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday backed his government’s decision to bar the national men’s cricket team from playing against India in the upcoming T20 World Cup tournament, reaffirming support for Bangladesh.
Pakistan’s government announced on social media platform X last week that it has allowed its national team to travel to Sri Lanka for the World Cup. However, it said the Green Shirts will not take the field against India on their scheduled match on Feb. 15.
Pakistan’s participation in the tournament was thrown into doubt after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) for replacing Bangladesh with Scotland. The decision was taken after Bangladesh said it would not let its team travel to India out of security concerns.
During a meeting of the federal cabinet, Sharif highlighted that Pakistan has said that politics should be kept away from sports.
“We have taken this stand after careful consideration and in this regard, we should stand fully with Bangladesh,” Sharif said in televised remarks.
“And I believe this is a very reasonable decision.”
Pakistan has blamed India for influencing the ICC’s decisions. The global cricket governing body is currently led by Jay Shah, the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Shah is the son of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah.
Pakistan’s boycott announcement has triggered media frenzy worldwide, with several Indian cricket experts and analysts criticizing Islamabad for the decision. An India-Pakistan cricket contest is by far the most lucrative and eagerly watched match of any ICC tournament.
The ICC has ensured that the two rivals and Asian cricket giants are always in the same group of any ICC event since 2012 to capitalize on the high-stakes game.
The two teams have played each other at neutral venues over the past several years, as bilateral cricket remains suspended between them since 2013 due to political tensions.
Those tensions have persisted since the two nuclear-armed nations engaged in the worst fighting between them since 1999 in May 2025, after India blamed Pakistan for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed tourists.
Pakistan denied India’s allegations that it was involved in the attack, calling for a credible probe into the incident.
