Daily Times

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians has clarified that it will retain ‘arrow’ symbol to contest July-25 general elections and negated the impression that it was going into polls on its traditional ‘sword’ symbol.

Earlier on Tuesday, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) allotted elections symbols to political parties.

Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led PPP was allotted sword as electoral symbol whereas Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), whose official president is Asif Ali Zardari, was allotted arrow on desire.

However, some factions of media reported that Peoples Party will contest the upcoming general elections with the symbol of the sword after 40 years.

“It is clear that PPPP, not PPP, is our electoral party. Since arrow is granted to PPPP therefore it will remain our electoral symbol as well,” Dr Nafisa Shah, a spokesperson of four Ps told Daily Times.

“Pakistan People’s Party  applied for sword symbol because it is our traditional electoral symbol. The option was available and PPP applied for it. But we will go with arrow as our electoral symbol,” Dr Nafisa who is Secretary Information PPPP added.

Pakistan People’s Party was formed in 1967 and it contested the 1970 election on the ‘sword’ symbol. However, during General Ziaul Haq’s martial law, ‘sword’ was removed by ECP’s list to deny the allotment to PPP.

PPP, after being barred from using the symbol of the sword, took symbol of the arrow.

According to Imtiaz Shaikh, PPP member of Sindh Assembly that completed its term on May 28, PPP applied sword symbol to stop its rival groups to obtain this traditional symbol.

“Political parties like to retain their original symbols. So the move was to keep away our political rivals for obtaining this. Had it been free, everybody could have applied,” Sheikh added.

Since 1988, it will be eighth consecutive general elections where PPP will contest under arrow symbol.

Candidates, who have applied for PPP tickets for upcoming general elections, think PPP will not take such big risk to contest on sword symbol at a time when general elections are just on corner.

Mir Ismail Brohi, who has applied for Karachi’s PS-99 Gaddap area seat, said “Pakistan Peoples’ Party may use sword symbol in future, may be in 2023 general elections, but not now. It may also start from by-elections so that masses can get used to of it,” Brohi added.

Political analyst Sohail Warraich said that PPP’s voter is now associated with arrow from the times when Benazir Bhutto was leading the party.

“It was injustice with PPP when former military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq denied PPP its traditional sword symbol. But this new generation has only seen arrow as PPP’s electoral symbol,” Warraich added.

“It might be correct to get back sword as electoral symbol for history’s correction, but in masses arrow is recognised,” he added.