On December 22, the Election Commission of Pakistan declared Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf's (PTI) intra-party election null and void, leading to the loss of its electoral symbol, the bat.
In response, PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali decried the decision as a conspiracy, expressing intentions to challenge it in the High Court.
Historical parallels: PPP and sword
Comparisons have been drawn between PTI's current predicament and the historical instance when the People's Party lost its sword symbol.
Back in 1985, during Zia-ul-Haq's regime, the sword symbol was omitted from the list of available election symbols, seemingly as a move to weaken the political strength of the People's Party. However, the PPP later regained both the arrow and sword symbols in subsequent elections.
PTI symbol saga
Contrary to popular belief, the bat has not always been PTI's election symbol. When the party 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.
Uncharted territory of nullified intra-party elections
Zafarullah Khan, an expert on electoral and constitutional affairs, sheds light on the historical context of intra-party elections, highlighting that the provision for such elections came into existence in 2002. PTI's case marks the first incident of an intra-party election being rejected, adding an unprecedented chapter to Pakistan's political history.
Following the ECP's decision, PTI finds itself in uncharted territory, excluded from the list of political parties registered with the Election Commission.
Zafarullah Khan emphasised the significance of an election symbol, stating that without it, candidates lose the ability to convey an overall message to voters, leading to potential confusion and disarray in the upcoming elections.
Legal battles
In response to the ECP's decision, PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali has declared it a conspiracy and expressed the intent to challenge the decision in the High Court.
As the party stands at the brink of losing its electoral symbol, the impending legal battles and the potential fallout loom large, raising questions about the nature of losses and the survival of PTI as a political force.
