By Irum Saleem
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and former federal minister Moonis Elahi on Monday strongly criticised the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Supreme Court’s decision to suspend a high court ruling that had restored the party’s electoral symbol, describing the development as “Qazi Faez Isa Part 2.”
آزاد کشمیر سپریم کورٹ نے آزاد کشمیر ہائیکورٹ کا تحریک انصاف کو بلے کا نشان دینے کا فیصلہ معطل کر دیا۔ قاضی فائز عیسی پارٹ 2۔
— Moonis Elahi (@MoonisElahi) June 29, 2026
In a post on X, Moonis Elahi reacted to the AJK Supreme Court’s interim order suspending an earlier verdict of the AJK High Court that had granted PTI the right to use the bat symbol.
“Azad Kashmir Supreme Court has suspended the Azad Kashmir High Court’s decision to grant PTI the bat symbol. Qazi Faez Isa Part 2,” Mr Moonis wrote, drawing a comparison between the latest judicial development and the controversy surrounding the electoral symbol litigation before Pakistan’s Supreme Court ahead of the February 2024 general elections.
Moonis Elahi’s remarks, but his statement appeared to suggest that the latest decision reflected a continuation of what PTI has consistently alleged was judicial interference in matters concerning the party’s electoral rights.
The AJK Supreme Court’s order came after it suspended the implementation of the high court verdict pending further proceedings.
The issue of PTI’s electoral symbol has remained politically contentious since the party lost the bat symbol before Pakistan’s 2024 general elections following legal proceedings related to its intra-party elections. PTI leaders have repeatedly maintained that the decisions deprived the party of a level playing field, while state institutions have rejected allegations of political bias.
There was no immediate response from the AJK judiciary or other authorities to Mr Moonis’ comments.
