ELECTION COMMISSION OF PAKISTAN ALLOCATES THE ELECTION SYMBOL BOOK TO MUTAHIDDA MAJLIS-E-AMAL PAKISTAN (MMAP)
Islamabad, the 9th December, 2007.- A meeting of the Election Commission of Pakistan was held today under chairmanship of Mr. Justice ® Qazi Muhammad Farooq, Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan in the Election Commission Secretariat, Islamabad and the Members Election Commission Mr. Justice Nasim Sikandar and Mr. Justice Ahmed Khan Lashari attended the meeting, besides Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad, Secretary, Election Commission. During the meeting, the Election Commission allotted election symbols to political parties under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1976 read with Rule 9 of the Representation of the People (Conduct of Election) Rules, 1977 and also the Allocation of Symbols Order, 2002.
After hearing the representatives of all the component parties of the Mutahidda Majlis-e-Ammal Pakistan (MMAP), the Election Commission of Pakistan has allotted symbol ‘Book’ to MMAP. The Order of the Election Commission is reproduced hereunder:-
“This order is meant to resolve two issues. First, allotment of symbol ‘Book’ to Mutahidda Majlis-e-Ammal Pakistan (a combination of six Political Parties) or Jamiat-e-Ulamae-Islam (Fazl-ur-Rehman Group), one of the component parties. Second, allotment of a different symbol to Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam (Maulana Sami-ul-Haq Group), another component party of MMAP.
2. In the last General Elections, the symbol ‘Book’ was allotted to MMAP and prior to that it
admittedly remained reserved for JUI (Fazl-ur-Rehman Group) since 1988.
3. The rival claims appear to be the outcome of difference of opinion between component parties of MMAP over the issue of participation in the forthcoming General Elections. Reportedly, some component political parties, spearheaded by Jamat-e-Islami Pakistan, are inclined to boycott the forthcoming elections while some parties including JUI (Fazl-ur-Rehman Group) and JUI (Sami-ul-Haq Group) have decided to participate in the elections.
4. Having heard the representatives of all the component parties, we have decided to allot the symbol in question to MMAP, subject to conditions to be highlighted later in the order. The reasons are not far to seek. Admittedly, MMAP is still intact and has not been abandoned or renounced by JUI (Fazl-ur-Rehman Group). It has also fulfilled all the requisite legal formalities, and apart from that, has filed List of Candidates for the seats reserved for non-Muslims and Women in the National and Provincial Assemblies within the period prescribed under section 47A of the Representation of the People Act, 1976. The rival party did not care to file such lists within the stipulated period. This glaring omission is likely to create a situation where some seats reserved for non-Muslims and Women in the National and Provincial Assemblies may remain vacant. Be that as it may, it is a matter of common knowledge that Qazi Hussain Ahmed, President of MMAP, who is also head of Jamaat-e-Islami, has repeatedly announced boycott of elections in the print and on the electronic media. These announcements go a long way to suggest that MMAP is not inclined to put up joint candidates for the forthcoming General Elections within the contemplation of proviso to Section 21 (1) (c) of the Representation of the People Act, 1976. In this backdrop, we deem it necessary to hold that if one or more component parties of MMAP decide to boycott the elections then the symbol ‘Book’ will be deemed to have been allotted to JUI (Fazl-ur-Rehman Group) and those component parties of MMAP which do not boycott the elections. In that eventuality, the head of JUI (Fazl-ur-Rehman Group) will issue certificates with regard to the symbol in question to the contesting candidates. Needless to add that in view of the guidelines contained in Paragraph 7 of the Allocation of Symbols Order, 2002 JUI (Fazl-ur-Rehman Group) has preference for allocation of the symbol applied for as it was allotted to it repeatedly before entering into an alliance with five other political parties in the last General Elections. It also needs to be mentioned here that in case the MMAP does not boycott the elections it will be obliged to put up joint candidates and issue certificates of party nominations signed by its President and General Secretary.
5. There is no difficulty in settling the second issue because the representatives of all the component parties of MMAP stated at the outset that pursuant to a split in JUI (Sami-ul-Haq Group), the applicant had left MMAP. Therefore, they had no objection to the allocation of the symbol applied for.
6. For the foregoing reasons, symbol ‘Book’ is allotted to MMAP subject to the aforementioned conditions. The JUI (Sami-ul-Haq Group) is allotted symbol ‘Ladder’ as requested by its representative.”