Islamabad [Pakistan], January 13 : As the fate of its iconic 'bat' symbol hangs in court, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) has turned to the 'batsman' symbol and instructed its election candidates to submit their PTI-Nazriati tickets to their respective returning officers, Dawn reported.
In a post on X, PTI stated, "Whoever has PTI-Nazriati tickets should immediately submit them and take any kind of hindrance to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and high courts."
The party issued the directives while the Pakistan Supreme Court heard ECP's petition challenging the Peshawar High Court's (PHC) decision to restore the PTI's electoral symbol, the 'bat'.
Earlier, after sensing the danger of losing its iconic symbol, the party had chalked out its 'plan B': allying with its splinter PTI-Nazriati group to use the 'batsman' symbol for its candidates, Dawn reported.
It further reported citing sources that an accord had been reached between the two parties after negotiations.
"After the ECP went to the Supreme Court against the decision of the PHC, the party's leadership mulled over the option for an alternative electoral symbol," a source in the PTI told Dawn. "The need was aggravated after remarks passed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa during a hearing on Friday."
PTI officials believe that the "bat" and "batsman" symbols are similar, making it easier for voters to identify with PTI, the source had explained.
"The chairman of PTI-Nazriati, Akhtar Iqbal Dar, had agreed to issue tickets to PTI's candidates on the symbol of batsman," another source stated.
Meanwhile, the PTI leadership had turned towards the Nazriati group, considering the possibility that the ECP would grant separate symbols to each party candidate, which would 'confuse' voters.
"If the bat is denied, the PTI could inculcate easily in the voters' minds to stamp on the batsman," the source had said.
Interestingly, the PTI initially never wanted the "batsman" symbol allocated to its splinter group. It had urged the ECP in June 2022 not to allot the symbol to PTI-Nazriati, arguing that it would create confusion among the voters. However, the ECP did not entertain PTI's request, Dawn reported.
However, a PTI-Nazriati official has refused to comment on the issue. "We cannot comment on this issue right now".
A spokesman for the PTI said the party was ready to accommodate some of the PTI-Nazriati candidates, hoping that its list of demands would not be a long one.
Meanwhile, the electoral watchdog, in a press release, announced an extension of two hours to the deadline for the allotment of the election symbol for political parties.
The ECP noted that it was the last day for the allotment of the electoral symbol, according to Dawn.
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