The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday ordered Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold its intra-party elections again to retain its "bat" symbol, as it has observed that the party's previous poll was not transparent.
Though the poll body had issued its notices in this regard on 2 August, it had opted to reserve its verdict on the matter on 13 September.
The Election Commission's latest order could be a cause of worry for Khan's PTI party since he and his top lieutenants are already cooling their heels in jail, media reported.
“The bat symbol will remain with us. We will challenge this order on an appropriate forum,” Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, representing the PTI, said.
The barrister-cum-party spokesman also sought to underline that there was "no disqualification" preventing Imran Khan from taking part in elections. According to Articles 62 and 63, he said, only a disqualified person could be prohibited from contesting a poll.