With the loss of the ability to award the ‘bat’ symbol to electoral candidates, the PTI loses the ability to contest the February 8 elections as a party. The PTI plans to appeal this decision, but unless it gets relief, it will end up going into the election with its candidates having to contest as independents. One disadvantage of them contesting as independents is that they do not have access to the reserved seats for women or minorities. Another is that they cannot be unseated by their parity heads for violations of party discipline. However, during the election itself, candidates will have to expend effort convincing voters that they are indeed PTI candidates, and there is a chance of two or more candidates claiming to be the ‘PTI candidate’ while an independent. If the ‘bat’ symbol becomes available to candidates requesting it, the situation could get murkier. It remains open to the PTI to choose another symbol, and have all its candidates opt for it. When the MQM failed to get registered in 1988, all its nominees contested as independents, but under the common ‘kite’ symbol as ‘Haq Parqasts’, which was the name of the parliamentary groups they formed.
It should not escape notice that this is the first time a party’s elections have received such scrutiny that even after being held, an appeal against them has been accepted. Perhaps the PTI itself cannot escape without blame, for it had delayed the election for some time, only holding the poll on the threat of losing its symbol. Certainly, the PML(N) and the PPP have not had their internal elections undergo such scrutiny. The same old faces are re-elected unopposed without much fanfare.
It is perhaps only in the fairness of things that the PTI is allowed to hold party elections. If it alone is to be subject to scrutiny, then the directions of the Supreme Court, on a petition of PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, about to lose office as PTI Chairman, that the PTI be provided a level playing field, may be vitiated. It cannot be without significance that the ECP made its decision on the same day the Supreme Court granted Imran Khan bail in the cipher case, though he remained arrested, and thus not able to hit the campaign trail, where he is such a big asset to his party.
