The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has on Monday allotted election symbols to 150 political parties that are contesting seats in the National Assembly (NA) and provincial assemblies for the upcoming general election set to take place on February 8, 2024.
After the Supreme Court’s ‘bat’ symbol verdict announced late on Saturday, former ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was missing from the list of published on the ECP website.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) has been allotted ‘tiger’ symbol, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) ‘arrow’, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) ‘sword’, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-Nazriati (PTI-N) ‘batsman’, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) ‘eagle’, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) ‘kite’, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) ‘book’, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JI) ‘scale’, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) ‘turban’, Balochistan National Party (BNP) ‘axe’, Awami National Party (ANP) ‘lantern’, Balochistan National Party Awami ‘camel’ and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) ‘cow’.
Last week on Saturday, the ECP issued a notice to returning officers to not allot an election symbol to any election candidate who belongs to another political party.
The five-member bench of the commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, issued the order, which 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.”
Electoral authorities had already allotted poll symbols to 117 independent candidates.
