ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has expressed concern over the denial of the party’s election symbol ‘arrow’ to ticket holders in various constituencies of Punjab, The News reported on Tuesday.
Taj Haider, in-charge of PPP’s election monitoring cell, wrote to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja to highlight the prevailing trend in Punjab of denying the party election symbol to PPP MP ticket holders and placing them in the category of independent candidates.
“Our serious concerns about such a refusal can be noted,” he said in the letter.
Haider said that under Section 66 of the Elections Act, 2017, “a declaration before the returning officer of his affiliation to a particular political party, if any, along with a certificate from the political party to show that he is a candidate of that party from that party. constituency’ was the only and final requirement for ‘seeking allotment of prescribed symbol’.
“There is no ambiguity in this section of the Electoral Act 2017 and it should be followed in letter and spirit,” he added. The concerned polling cell said, “You agree sir that the whole system of our constitutional democracy is built on the basic structure of political parties.
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“We have accepted that citizens have the opportunity to stand for election as independent candidates, but we have repeatedly experienced that the presence of independents in an elected House opens an unfortunate window for horse-trading and pressure on elected independents,” he said in the letter. to CEC.
Haider said independent candidates are often elected by exploiting “factional, racial, tribal, sectarian and provincial prejudices” among our citizens.
According to Article 33 of the Constitution, the state must discourage such and similar prejudices. “Instead, citizens should be encouraged to vote on the performance, policies and manifestos of political parties,” he added.
The senator said that the displacement of valid candidates who are affiliated with a party and also submitted the required documents before the return of the officers at the time of searching for the prescribed symbol, outside the group of that party and into the category of independents, is contrary to the provisions of Act No. Article 33 of the Constitution and necessary and sufficient requirements of Section 66 of the Elections Act 2017.
He requested the CEC to issue general instructions to all ROs and DROs to allot the prescribed symbols under Section 66 of the Elections Act, 2017 to all candidates who at the time of seeking the prescribed symbol have submitted a certificate from their party about their affiliation to that party.
