Pakistan’s Supreme Court on January 13 rejected an attempt by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party to retain its traditional electoral symbol of a cricket bat, in the latest setback for the jailed leader ahead of general elections. Khan’s party, at odds with powerful army generals, has been grappling with a military-backed crackdown that has gathered pace ahead of the February 8 vote. The party, the Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI), alleges the military is attempting to keep it out of the election, a charge the army denies. A party’s electoral symbol on ballot papers is significant in a country where the majority of the constituencies are in rural areas with low literacy.
