LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani criticized the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to revoke Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) ‘bat’ symbol, expressing concerns about its potential impact on the upcoming polls’ credibility.
Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani, in a conversation with The News on Friday, expressed that it would have been preferable for PTI to retain the bat symbol. He emphasized the need for a level playing field for all political parties, including their rival PTI.
The ECP’s decision to deny PTI the use of its ‘bat’ symbol for the February 8 general elections was announced by a five-member bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. The decision followed a petition by former PTI member Akbar S Babar, challenging the legitimacy of intra-party elections.
With the extended deadline for submitting nomination papers expiring on Sunday, PTI has only one day (Saturday) to challenge the ECP’s decision in court. PTI has consistently claimed unfair treatment, alleging a lack of a level playing field.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Secretary General Ameerul Azeem criticized the ECP’s decision, labeling it as “victimization and disappointing.” Azeem highlighted the discrepancy in treatment, noting that a party denied even a corner meeting was penalized for not conducting intra-party polls.
PPP leader Sharjeel Inam Memon mentioned the historical challenges faced by his party, recalling the deprivation of the election symbol ‘arrow’ and subsequent rebranding to PPP-Parliamentarians. Memon criticized PTI’s lenient treatment, citing the foreign funding case and alleging the misuse of institutions for political objectives.
