Islamabad, Dec 22 (PTI) Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's party on Friday said that the election commission has assured that it would address its concerns regarding a lack of a level playing field in the February 8 general election.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyer Shoaib Shaheen made the remarks after a party delegation met with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) here following the directives issued by the Supreme Court earlier in the day.

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A three-member bench of the Supreme Court instructed the top election body to address the concerns of jailed former prime minister Khan's party about the lack of a level playing field in the upcoming elections.

The bench, comprising Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali, directed the PTI to submit its complaint to the ECP at 3 pm on Friday and ordered the attorney general to facilitate the two sides to address the issue. It also asked the top election body to examine thoroughly and address all concerns raised by the PTI.

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The party had alleged that its top leadership was in jail and its candidates were being harassed, making it difficult for candidates to file their nomination papers for the elections being held on February 8, 2024.

Speaking to the media after meeting with the ECP, PTI lawyer Shaheen said, "They (ECP officials) have promised that the grievances will be addressed," the Dawn newspaper reported.

Expressing hope that the commission would play its role in ensuring free and fair elections, Shaheen said it assured the party that all the complaints that had been raised would be resolved.

Separately, the ECP also issued instructions to the Islamabad chief commissioner, Islamabad and Sindh police chiefs and all four chief secretaries and provincial election commissioners regarding candidates' nomination papers, according to the report.

The letters said that various complaints were received about electoral candidates facing difficulties obtaining and submitting nomination papers, with snatching of documents also reported.

The ECP took "serious notice" of the matter and directed necessary action under the law on such matters be taken to inform the electoral watchdog.

Earlier, during the petition hearing, lawyer Shaheen said that the PTI candidates were not provided with the nomination papers and were not allowed to submit them.

He said that Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) orders were still being issued against their leaders despite the issuance of the election schedule, Geo News reported.

"The party's concerns about not having a level playing field seem valid," Justice Minallah remarked during the hearing. He also stated that the conduct of the ECP showed that "there is no level playing field."

On Thursday, PTI chief Gohar Khan filed a petition stating that the party should be allowed to contest elections without any discrimination.

On Wednesday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered that all political parties should have a level playing field after the PTI party claimed that its candidates were allegedly denied nomination papers by the 'state agencies.'

The court also ordered the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to ensure "complete freedom of speech" to all political leaders in the media.

Hearing Khan's petition 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 speeches."

PTI founder and former prime minister Khan, 71, served as prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to April 2022. He was ousted through a vote of no-confidence in April 2022.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)