Imran Khan’s party, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, has lost a crucial battle at the country’s Supreme Court to retain its iconic election symbol, the cricket bat, in next month’s elections.
The nation, with a population exceeding 240 million, is set to hold general elections on the 8th of February. Khan’s party, ‘Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’ (PTI), has historically employed the cricket bat as its electoral emblem, a tactic that aided in voter identification in a country where the adult literacy rate is just 58%, according to World Bank data.
Michael Kugelman, South Asia Institute Director at the Wilson Center in Washington, stated in remarks to Agence France-Presse that “the ruling is one of the most significant electoral setbacks to date for what is currently the most popular party in the country.”
He continued, “In a country with high illiteracy rates, many will struggle to know who to vote for without the cricket bat symbol,” referring to PTI’s electoral sign, and warned of a “systematic effort” by the political system to marginalize PTI.
The Election Commission barred the movement from using the symbol in December after ruling that the party’s internal elections, which were ordered, were not conducted in accordance with electoral law, leading to multiple legal challenges that ended up in the Supreme Court this week.
Support for the Ban
Chief Justice of Pakistan’s Supreme Court, Qazi Faez Isa, supported the ban in a televised ruling, remarking that the Pakistani Election Commission had first asked PTI to conduct elections in 2021 when they were the ruling party, adding, “Therefore, it cannot be said that the Election Commission is targeting PTI.”
Now, PTI’s candidates must choose individual symbols. Party spokesman Zulfi Bukhari described the judicial decision as a “sad day for democracy.”
Khan rose to political prominence in cricket-enthusiastic Pakistan after leading the national team to victory over England in the 1992 Cricket World Cup final. He leveraged this triumph to launch his charitable endeavors, which subsequently paved the way for his foray into politics.
Since being ousted from power in April 2022, following a disagreement with the country’s senior military officers, Khan has faced a flood of legal complaints and remains detained over numerous charges, including corruption and leaking diplomatic cables.
The former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who returned from self-imposed exile after many of his convictions were overturned, is seen as the most likely candidate in the elections. Analysts say this signals that Sharif is the preferred candidate of the senior officers. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has already noted that the elections have been tainted by “pre-poll rigging” by excluding Khan and his party from the race.
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