'Contempt of court': PTI petitions SC against ECP on level-playing field issue

• Punjab IG "mastermind" of crackdown against PTI, petition claims.
• States ECP failed to abide by court's Dec 22 ruling over said issue.
• PTI laments ongoing crackdown against candidates ahead of polls.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Tuesday moved the Supreme Court seeking contempt of court proceedings against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) over the electoral body's alleged failure to ensure a level-playing field ahead of the upcoming elections slated for February 8, 2024.

The former ruling party, in its petition, has lamented the top electoral body's failure to implement the apex court's directions — despite being notified by the Punjab ECP — wherein it had ordered the poll organising authority to address the PTI's concerns about the absence of a level-playing field.

The application refers to the top court's ruling, in response to the PTI's petition filed under Article 184(3) of the Constitution complaining of being denied equal opportunities in the political arena, where it directed the electoral body to meet with the party's representatives and address its relevant concerns.

The three-member bench, headed by interim Chief Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah, also directed the attorney general to assist the ECP in meeting with the PTI lawyers.

During the hearing, Justice Minallah termed the PTI's allegations of denial of the level-playing field as “prima facie correct”.

The party, in its recent application, contends that the ECP secretary failed to abide by the apex court's December 22 verdict as PTI candidates continued to be harassed and arrested even after the top court's ruling.

Furthermore, the petition — which mentions the ECP and interior secretaries as parties to the case along with the Inspector General Police (IGPs) of all four provinces — also levels serious allegations against the Punjab IG, labelling him as the "mastermind" behind the crackdown against the PTI.

Seeking action against those responsible for violating the court's order, the party has prayed to the court to ensure that its candidates are allowed to hold rallies and political gatherings — as part of a level-playing field ahead of the polls.

The PTI is not the first party to complain of the lack of a level-playing field — a term used widely to lament the absence of equal opportunities for stakeholders — as Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have also voiced concerns on the said issue on multiple occasions.