ISLAMABAD: In a bid to safeguard the Quran from exploitation by political parties, two lawyers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Insaf Lawyer’s Wing have urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to remove the symbol of a ‘book’ from being used as an electoral symbol in general elections 2018.
The symbol was used twice by the Muttahida Majlis-e-Ammal (MMA) in the general elections of 2002 and 2008, respectively.
In their letter to the concerned authorities, Advocates Khurram Zeeshan and Mudassir Jan threw light on the fact that a book in Muslim countries is a symbol that has many connotations relating it to the Holy Quran. They stated that the symbol is thus used to emotionally and psychologically manipulate the public “to the maximum” as political parties use a “religious matter to influence the minds of the gullible public.”
The PTI lawyers added that the symbol of a book is “incorrectly but deliberately interpreted and referred to as the holy Quran” while trying to influence the common man.
According to the petition, electoral symbols are being used to exploit religious sensitivities so that political parties can gain an advantage.
“This problem is very obvious in rural areas where illiteracy is high,” said Mudassir Jan.
The duo stressed that the use of the aforementioned symbol robs opposing parties of equal opportunity, besides having an unfair influence on the outcome of the elections.