However, in response to ECP's notice, the party stated that it had failed to hold the elections due to the COVID pandemic and asked for a year until June 2022.

PTI termed the order of ECP as "deeply flawed, illegal, biased, and an assault on the integrity of the electoral process.

[5][6] On 13 January 2024, less than a month before the 2024 elections, a three-member SCP bench led by Isa affirmed the ECP's decision, overturning a previous PHC reversal.

The SCP bench, in contrast, supported the ECP's findings, emphasizing PTI's violation of its constitution and denial of members' rights to participate in leadership selection.

[8] In its detailed verdict released on 13 January 2024, PHC maintained a political party's right to contest elections under a common symbol, arguing against denial based on an "absurd provision of law."

"[12] Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that "excluding a major political party from elections on technical grounds will destabilize democracy.