Pakistan’s Supreme Court barred the party of former prime minister Imran Khan from contesting the elections, in a decision that is seen as a major setback to the party which is still popular among the masses. In a decision announced around midnight, the top court banned Khan’s party from using its party symbol, a cricket bat, on ballot papers, over failure to hold mandatory intra-party elections. The decision means that hundreds of candidates from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) would contest elections as independents and be allotted different electoral symbols. The move is likely to make …