ECP insulting PTI candidates with allocation of random symbols: Khosa

LAHORE: PTI senior vice president Latif Khosa on Monday assailed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for ‘insulting’ his party candidates with allocation of random symbols after Supreme Court (SC) verdict, stripping the party of its iconic symbol – bat, ARY News reported.

Talking to journalists in Rawalpindi, the senior lawyer noted that the Supreme Court’s (SC) verdict was a huge loss for democracy – which according to him – will be remembered in ages.

“We moved the apex court for transparent election and a level playing field. But we were even stripped off a field,” Latif Khosa said, noting that the verdict also took away 220 members by revoking the bat symbol.

He further said that the SC verdict had stripped off the fundamental rights of the people of Pakistan. However, he said, the PTI would definitely contest the election, urging the voters to fully participate in the polls.

The remarks came after CJP Qazi Faez Isa-led three-member bench announced the verdict, dealing a huge blow to Imran Khan-led PTI’s hopes of retaining its symbol.

As a result, the PTI candidates will now be contesting the elections independently with different electoral symbols while the party no longer has the right to reserved seats for women and minorities.

PTI symbols

Earlier on January 14, the ECP allotted symbols to the candidates of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) contesting polls as independent candidates after the Supreme Court annulled the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) January 10 order.

Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, who was deprived of his post of PTI chairman after Supreme Court judgement, was allotted “teapot” as election symbol while Shaukat Yousafzai’s symbol has been “racket”.

PTI’s Shahryar Afridi will contest election with “bottle” symbol, Shandana Gulzar has been given the symbol of “bowl”.

PTI senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s children Mehr Bano Qureshi and Zain Hussain Qureshi have been allotted electoral symbols chimta (tongs) for NA-151 and shoe for NA-150 constituencies of Multan, respectively.

Umair Niazi will fight the election with the symbol ‘door’ on Mianwali’s NA-90 seat. Shoaib Shaheen has been given a ‘shoe’ to contest elections in Islamabad’s NA-46 constituency.

‘Piyala’ (bowl) will represent Shandana Gulzar in NA-30 constituency of Peshawar and ‘kettle’ will represent Barrister Gohar Ali Khan in NA-10 constituency of Buner.