Pakistan court intervenes as Imran Khan's party leaders denied nomination papers

In response to allegations that candidates of exPrime Minister Imran Khans party were unfairly denied nomination papers a Pakistani court has mandated a level playing field for all political parties in the upcoming February 8 general electionsLahore High Court Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority PEMRA to ensure complete freedom of speech for all political leaders in the mediaHearing a petition of Imran Khan against the ban on his name and speeches on TV channels Justice Mirza directed the PEMRA to ensure a level playing field for all political parties in broadcasting their content and speechesThe judge also made some interesting observations during the hearing asking whether PEMRA is behind the ban on Khans name and statements on TV channels or if it is the work of the Agriculture Department commonly used to describe the military establishment hereEveryone knows what sort of elections are going to be held the judge saidOn Wednesday PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub wrote on X that reports coming in from across Pakistan and especially Punjab of actions and threats against the Pakistan TehreekeInsaf PTI candidates their proposers and seconders Nomination papers are being snatched from the hands of the people taking the nomination papers by uniformed police officers Homes were being invaded by the police without warrants women and children harassedAlso read In a first former Pakistan PM Imran Khan uses AI clone to address virtual election campaign from jailAyub said that the PTI candidates in jail are not being granted access to sign their nomination formsOn being told that it is their constitutional right the jail authorities simply shrug and say that they have orders from above We need a clear definition of above We can only assume that the Chief Executive of the country is the Caretaker Prime Minister AnwaarulHaq Kakar and that he is ordering these illegal actions through the caretaker chief ministers They will be held accountable for conducting massive prepoll rigging he saidThe PTI leader said it is the responsibility of the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure that these illegal and engineered prepoll rigging actions against PTI candidates by the Police and District Administration are stopped immediatelyNo matter how much pressure is exerted on PTIs candidates and activists we will continue to fight for democracy The people of Pakistan will ensure PTI will win with a massive landslide victory Former Prime Minister Imran Khan lives in the hearts of the people of Pakistan Imran Khan has awakened the people of Pakistan he saidAnother PTI leader and close aide to Imran Khan Zulfi Bokhari said In the past 48 hrs there has been a new wave of arrests and snatching of nomination papers from PTI candidates and workers Is this what we are trying to sell as free and fair electionsSince the homecoming of Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif in October from London where he spent four years in selfexile he has been receiving PMdesignate protocol with the blessings of the militaryBesides all his corruption cases in which he was convicted have been set aside after the Islamabad High Court has given him a clean chitThe PTI alleges that under the London Plan Nawaz Sharif will be made the Prime Minister following the February 8 polls with the blessing of the military establishment under Army Chief Gen Asim Munir and Imran Khan and his party will be crushed With inputs from PTI