A glance at when Pakistani political parties were deprived of their electoral symbols  

Political tensions in Pakistan have surged as winter sets in, with election activities intensifying and hourly news updates flooding the scene.

In a significant development on Friday evening, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) revoked the iconic ‘bat’ symbol from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a symbol deeply rooted in the cricketing legacy of its founder, Imran Khan.

Some supporters expressed outrage, claiming it was the first instance of a political party losing its election symbol. However, historical records reveal that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) faced a similar fate when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s ‘Sword’ symbol was removed from the Election Commission’s list after the disputed 1977 elections under General Zia ul Haq.

Despite the setback, Benazir Bhutto contested the 1988 elections, securing victory with a different symbol, the arrow. In that year, PPP emerged as the largest party, winning 94 out of 207 seats in the National Assembly.

The PPP continued its success in subsequent elections, winning in 1993 and 2008 with the arrow symbol. In 1993, the party secured 86 seats, leading to Benazir’s second term as Prime Minister.

After Benazir’s assassination in 2008, PPP won 125 seats with the arrow symbol, forming a coalition government with PMLN. Yousuf Raza Gilani became the Prime Minister, and Asif Zardari assumed the presidency.

Interestingly, PPP currently retains two symbols: Sword and arrow. There are two registered PPPs with the Election Commission—one with the sword symbol led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and another with the arrow symbol led by Asif Zardari’s PPP Parliamentarian. The latter is the one that participates in elections.

During Ziaul Haq’s rule, two other symbols were removed: the scale and the plough. In the 1970s, the plough symbol belonged to the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA), a coalition against the PPP. The scale belonged to Jamaat-e-Islami, which lost it.

In a historical twist, in 2013, PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami contested over the ‘scale’ symbol, with the decision favoring Jamaat-e-Islami.