Pakistan is a country with a literacy rate of around 60%. Electoral Symbol plays a significant role in election campaigns. In the 2024 general elections, PMLN is again coming with their traditional symbol “Tiger“, The People’s Party has an “Arrow“, MQM got the “Kite“, PMLQ has a “Tractor“, and Tahreen Labaik Pakistan has “Karain” as the electoral symbol.
PTI is no longer having “Bat” and will be contesting independently under 100s of different political symbols.
This is not the first time when a political party sparked any trouble over the election symbol.
Pakistan People’s Party under Zulifqar Ali Bhutto had the political symbol “Sword“. But in 1985, General Zia unlisted the Sword and restricted the PPP political party from elections. Benazir Bhutto came with a new political fraction PPPP (Pakistan People’s Party Parlimentarian) and the symbol of an “Arrow“. Islami Jamhori Ijtihad under Junejo won the 1985 elections with Nawaz Sharif emerging for the first time. In the 2013 elections, the PPP got both the Sword and Arrow symbols.
In the 90s, three major political parties emerged. Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N, Imran Khan’s PTI, and Sardar Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari’s Millat Party. Imran Khan went with the election symbol Chirag (Lamp) in the 1997 elections and changed to Bat in the 2002 elections. Lamp is now held by the Qaumi Wattan Party (QWP).
Farooq Khan Laghari’s Millat Party had an electoral symbol “Tractor“. A decade after their alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam (PMLQ), PMLQ changed their electoral symbol from Biycle to Tractor in the 2018 General Elections. All Pakistan Muslim League Jinnah (APML-J) is now holding a Bicycle for elections. Historically, the Bicycle was the symbol of Nawaz Sharif’s Islami Jamhori Itihad in 1985. Pakistan Kissan Ittihad (PKI) was asking for Tractor in the 2018 elections but couldn’t get it. They got Plough instead. Plough was the electoral symbol of the Pakistan National Alliance in the 1977 elections where 9 political parties joined together against the PPP.
Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party is now contesting elections with the electoral symbol “Eagle“. Which was previously held by General Parvez Musharaf for his All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) political party.
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