F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has allotted the electoral symbols to all religious and political parties except PTI for the general election 2024. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) has been allotted symbol of ‘tiger’, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) ‘arrow’, Pakistan Peoples Party (Shaheed Bhutto) ‘sword’ and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-Nazriati (PTI-N) ‘batsman’.
Similarly, the newly established Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) has been allotted electoral symbol ‘eagle’, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) ‘kite’, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) ‘book’ and Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JI) ‘scale’. Likewise, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) was allotted ‘turban’, Balochistan National Party (BNP) ‘axe’, Awami National Party (ANP) ‘lantern’, Balochistan National Party Awami ‘camel’ and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) ‘cow’.
Approcimatly, 150 political parties were allotted electoral symbols for general election 2024. The ECP had already notified 177 symbols for independent candidates. Constitutional and electoral laws expert, Syed Noman Bokhari adovcate said that electoral symbols signify politcal approach and strength of political parties. He said without election symbol, the candidates lose the ability to convey an overall message to voters, leading to potential confusion.
He said in 1985, PPP had lost “sword” symbol after it was omitted from the list of available election symbols in a bid to politically harm it. However, the PPP had later regained both the arrow and sword symbols in subsequent elections and established its governments in 1988, 1993 and 2008. Contrary to popular belief, he said that “bat” has not always been PTI’s election symbol, saying when PTI was formed, its symbol in the 1997 elections was a lamp.
However, the bat became associated with PTI, especially during the Cricket World Cup, ultimately becoming its distinctive electoral symbol. Meanwhile, the name of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was missing from the list of political parties uploaded on the ECP website following the ‘bat’ symbol verdict announced by the Supreme Court on Saturday last week.
On Saturday last, ECP in its order has directed the returning officers that poll symbol should not be allotted to any candidate who belongs to another party. The commission five members bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, in its order said,” “Therefore, in exercise of powers, conferred upon the commission under Section 4 of the Elections Act, 2017, the commission hereby, directs that no symbol of any political party be allowed to any such candidate who is member of another political party and seeks allocation of symbol of other political party.” Noman said that intra party election was necessary for political parties under Election Act. He said electoral symbol was taken back from PTI after it failed to justify its controversial intra party election in ECP and Supreme Court of Pakistan.
