The controversy surrounding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) intra-party elections and its iconic cricket bat symbol deepened as Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa warned that the party might face consequences if the internal polls do not align with the law.

The statement was made during the hearing of the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) petition against the Peshawar High Court (PHC) verdict, which reinstated PTI’s cricket bat electoral symbol.

On December 22, the ECP barred PTI from using its cricket bat symbol for the upcoming February elections, citing irregularities in the internal polls that allegedly violated the party's constitution and election laws. PTI challenged the decision in the PHC, which granted temporary relief, reinstating the cricket bat symbol and referring the case to a larger bench for a hearing on January 9.

In a twist of events on December 30, the ECP challenged the PHC’s jurisdiction, but the PHC reversed its previous decision, upholding the ECP’s order. Faced with the potential loss of its iconic symbol, PTI appealed to the Supreme Court, later withdrawing its appeal in hopes of a favorable outcome from the PHC. The PHC ultimately deemed the ECP's order "illegal, without any lawful authority and of no legal effect."

However, dissatisfied with the PHC's decision, the ECP challenged it in the Supreme Court, seeking its revocation. Simultaneously, PTI filed a plea in the PHC against Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and other ECP members for not following up on the PHC’s order.

During the recent hearing, CJP Isa raised a crucial question about whether the PHC declared PTI’s intra-party polls in line with the law. He emphasized the need to review the party’s internal elections before addressing the cricket bat symbol's allotment. The hearing was adjourned until Saturday, with the CJP stating that PTI might face consequences if the intra-party polls are found to be incorrect. The PHC also issued a notice to the ECP on PTI’s plea seeking contempt of court proceedings for alleged non-compliance with the court directives regarding the publication of intra-party polls' certificates on its website.