Islamabad, The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has expressed serious concerns over an anomaly in the symbol allotment for its candidate Muhammad Fiaz Bhatti, contesting for PP 163, Punjab. Despite submitting the official PPPP ticket, Mr. Bhatti has been erroneously listed as an independent candidate and allocated the “Kettle” symbol instead of the party’s “Arrow.”

According to Pakistan People’s Party, the issue was brought to light in a letter by Senator Taj, expressing deep concern over the integrity of the electoral process. The letter indicates that Mr. Muhammad Faiz Bhatti, upon submitting the required documents to the Returning Officer on January 12, 2024, was unexpectedly assigned the wrong electoral symbol. This misallocation has raised fears within the PPP that this could be a deliberate move to undermine their candidate, potentially affecting the fairness of the upcoming elections.

The PPP has urgently requested the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to correct this anomaly by ensuring the “Arrow” symbol is rightfully allotted to Mr. Muhammad Fiaz Bhatti for the PP 163 constituency. Additionally, the party has called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to this error, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the transparency and integrity of the electoral process.

The PPP’s appeal underscores the critical nature of accurate symbol allotment in elections, a process fundamental to the democratic system and the perception of electoral fairness. The prompt response and action from the ECP are awaited to resolve this issue and uphold the credibility of the electoral process.