Islamabad, Dec 23 (IANS): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has stripped of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of its iconic ‘bat’ symbol -- a sign that depicts its founder, Imran Khan’s former life of cricket.

Announcing its reserved verdict, a five-member ECP bench -- headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja -- declared PTI's intra-party elections “unlawful”.

The 11-page order was announced on the petition of Akbar S Babar, a former PTI member, who claimed that the PTI did not stage the elections in line with the rules.

This serves as a major blow to the former ruling party as it gears up for the February 8 elections, with its founder — PTI's voter driving force — already behind bars for months — and his release does not seem soon, Geo News reported.

“The PTI has not complied with our directions [...] and failed to hold the intra-party election in accordance with the PTI prevailing Constitution, 2019, and Election Act, 2017, and Election Rules, 2017,” the order read.

Geo News reported that with the elections being declared unlawful, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, who replaced Khan as the party's chairman, is no longer the party's top head.

The party also seems to be running out of time as the extended deadline for submitting the nomination papers expires on Sunday and the party only has one day to move courts against the ECP’s decision.