ISLAMABAD/HYDERABAD: The Election commission of Pakistan (ECP) has refused to allocate Grand Democratic Alliance’s election symbol to former Speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza to contest National Assembly election from Badin.

Dr Fehmida Mirza had filed nomination papers from NA-223 Badin-II which were initially rejected by the returning officer concerned and the appellate tribunal. However, the Sindh High Court had overturned the appellate tribunal’s order and allowed her to contest the Feb 8 elections.

She asked the RO to allot her GDA’s poll symbol ‘star’, but the RO referred the matter to the ECP.

In a unanimously passed order, a five-member bench of the ECP said that the Commission had already announced election schedule and the last date for withdrawal of candidature was January 12 and poll symbols were allocated on the next day.

It said Fehmida Mirza got relief from the SHC on Jan 18. Another candidate, Muhammad Hassan Mirza, submitted his nomination papers from the same constituency from the GDA platform and he was allocated the symbol ‘star’.

The ECP ruled that a party symbol cannot be allotted to two candidates of the same political party at the same time.

“Now therefore, the commission by taking into consideration the material available on the record has come to the conclusion that the stages of allocation of symbol and awarding of party certificate have passed.

In presence of nominee of GDA who has been allotted symbol by the RO duly reflected in Form 33 cannot be reviewed at this belated stage,“ the order said.

It ruled that the RO may allot a “symbol to Fehmida Mirza from those available for independent candidates”.

Earlier, Dr Fehmida Mirza, asked the ECP to change her election symbol in line with the party ticket which had been issued to her belatedly after Sindh High Court allowed her to contest elections.

“The ECP has not yet allotted me electoral symbol of GDA despite my party requesting it to grant me the electoral symbol following a decision by Sindh High Court on my election appeal,” said Dr Mirza.

She told Dawn over phone that in an identical case, a symbol allotted to a candidate was changed when the party made a request to allot the symbol to another contestant of the same party. She wondered why it was not being allowed in her case as well.

Dr Mirza aspires to be a GDA candidate like her spouse and sons in Badin where she had defeated PPP candidate Rasool Bux Chandio on July 25, 2018, on NA-223.

Her papers were rejected by returning officer on the ground that she had failed to pay back a loan sought for a sugar mill. She challenged the RO’s ruling before the election tribunal, which upheld the RO’s order.

The GDA, meanwhile, allotted the ticket to her son, Mohammad Hassam before the last date for submission of party ticket expired. Her son Hasnain Mirza would be contesting a Sindh Assembly seat, which he had won in 2018 polls.

But later, Sindh High Court allowed her to contest polls while setting aside the orders of RO and election tribunal. She was one of two candidates who won their NA seats in 2018 polls in Sindh.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2024