LAHORE: In a legal saga that unfolded at the Lahore High Court on Wednesday, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, a prominent leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, faced a setback as his petition to secure the ‘Peacock’ as his election symbol for the impending February 8 elections was rejected. The high court stood by the Election Commission’s prior decision, steadfastly assigning the symbol of a ‘donkey cart’ to Elahi.
The roots of this dispute traced back to the former Chief Minister of Punjab’s challenge of the election symbol allocated to him, prompting him to approach the Lahore High Court for a reconsideration. Pervaiz Elahi, a key figure within the PTI, ardently pleaded for the symbol of a ‘peacock’ to replace the ‘donkey cart’ designation.
Despite receiving permission from the Supreme Court of Pakistan on the previous Friday to participate in the upcoming elections, the Lahore High Court bench, led by Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan, ruled against Elahi’s plea for a symbol change. The court underscored its support for the Election Commission’s decision, thereby confirming the ‘donkey cart’ symbol for Pervaiz Elahi.
This legal tussle added another layer to Elahi’s electoral journey, as his nomination papers had earlier faced rejection by the returning officer. However, both the high court and the election appellate tribunal had subsequently dismissed this rejection, paving the way for his participation in the elections.
Elahi’s legal representative passionately argued in the Lahore High Court that the decision to allot the ‘donkey cart’ symbol was marred by malice. The lawyer contended that the returning officer had allegedly refused to accept the application for the preferred ‘peacock’ symbol. Despite these assertions, the court upheld the Election Commission’s decision, closing the chapter on this emblematic battle.
As Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi forges ahead in the electoral arena, the symbolism attached to his campaign takes center stage, with the ‘donkey cart’ symbol remaining an unexpected but indelible element in the narrative of his political journey.
