The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is figuring out what to do next after losing its iconic election symbol, the bat, due to a Supreme Court ruling on Saturday.
Hamid Khan, a key member of PTI’s core committee and a senior lawyer representing the party in the court, shared that the party is considering whether to file a petition for a review of the court’s decision after the detailed order is released.
Hamid Khan expressed concerns that the party not only lost its electoral symbol but also faces challenges in the overall electoral process. He mentioned, “There isn’t any playing field, let alone a level playing field.”
The Supreme Court decision, which set aside the Peshawar High Court ruling and upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to bar PTI from using the bat as its electoral symbol, was based on irregularities in the party’s internal polls.
Hamid Khan argued that the intra-party election issue is an internal matter according to the Elections Act 2017, and other parties were given their desired symbols after accepting their internal elections. He pointed out that the authorities could have imposed fines if irregularities were found, similar to what happened with the Awami National Party (ANP).
Addressing concerns about the transparency of the upcoming elections on February 8, Hamid Khan stated that the elections lack credibility when people are deprived of their right to vote.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan expressed disappointment with the Supreme Court ruling and vowed to file a plea seeking a review of the decision. Despite setbacks, PTI leaders are determined to contest the polls with candidates running independently, as they no longer have a unified symbol.
The allocation of separate symbols to PTI leaders on the electoral map raises concerns about potential confusion among voters. Notable leaders, such as Yasmin Rashid, Salman Akram Raja, Latif Khosa, and Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s children, will now contest elections with different symbols.
The article highlights various symbols assigned to PTI candidates across different constituencies, such as ‘laptop,’ ‘racquet,’ ‘K’ (English letter), ‘wicket,’ ‘chimta’ (tongs), ‘shoe,’ ‘door,’ ‘bowl,’ ‘kettle,’ ‘guitar,’ ‘dice,’ ‘Lamb,’ and ‘cricket stumps.’
In summary, the PTI is grappling with the aftermath of losing its electoral symbol, and the upcoming elections face challenges with candidates now running independently under various symbols. The party is considering legal options and expressing concerns about the transparency of the electoral process.