The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has looked to batsman – the symbol of its splinter group PTI-Nazriati (PTI-N) – amid difficulties in securing the bat sign before the delayed general elections on February 8. Perhaps the party wants to cash in the similarity between the two symbols.
Under its ‘Plan B’, the former ruling party has also allotted tickets to its candidates through the name of PTI-N and asked them on Saturday to also submit this ticket to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
This is not the first time that the splinter group has been discussed in Pakistani media. But this time many wonder about the party’s decision to keep PTI-N as an alternate.
PTI-Nazriati was formed by Akhtar Iqbal Dar in 2012 after a difference with one of the founders of the PTI Imran Khan. Like many past members, he alleged that the party established in the name of justice had become a party of turncoats with the inclusion of politicians from other parties.
According to Plan B, the PTI candidates would submit a PTI-N ticket to the returning officer if they are barred from contesting elections on the party’s name and the bat symbol. It merits here to mention that the name of the faction led by Dar and its symbol is akin to the party led by Barrister Gohar Khan.
The PTI-N was registered with the country’s top electoral authority in 2016 after accepting an application from Dar. At that time, the Khan-led party had filed an application in the Lahore High Court against the decision which was rejected.
The PTI-N fielded 35 candidates in the 2018 elections. Although, they did not win any seats they secured over 21,000 votes from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The party has a base in Punjab.
In 2022, the splinter group again made headlines when the PTI requested the ECP to not assign the batsman symbol to the PTI-N as it would confuse their voters.
But the request was rejected and the PTI-N got its symbol batsman. The Dar-led party also participated in the by-elections of 2022.
It’s not just the symbol and name; both parties also have the same flags.
There was a perception that the PTI-N’s purpose was to harm its party of origin because of Dar’s statements against former prime minister Imran Khan.
Dar was part of PTI’s central media committee before making his group. It is still not clear how fissures between the two parties ended, but it is being speculated that he handed over his party to Khan in a difficult time.
Tickets from the PTI-N have been awarded with the signature of Dar. Such a decision means candidates if elected on the ticket would be bound to follow party head Dar’s orders.
Dawn on Saturday while quoting sources reported that an accord had been reached between the two parties after negotiations, however, party leaders are not ready to talk about this in the media. Moreover, the conditions of the agreement are not known yet.
A PTI spokesman told the English newspaper that the party was willing to accommodate some of the PTI-N candidates.
Nabeel Anwar Dhakku’s news report added that the development might not go well with those PTI-N candidates who had already got tickets in constituencies where the PTI is fielding its candidates. It cited that as for now PTI-N’s Chaudhry Imran Qaisar Abbas would be up against former MNA Ayaz Amir.
The PTI was waiting for the Supreme Court orders to announce its Plan B, however, it shared it with its candidates on Saturday before the apex court’s decision.
