Pak political parties outnumber available election symbols!

Islamabad: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has fallen short of election symbols as the registered parties have outnumbered the available symbols, according to a report. The number of registered parties reached 216 on Tuesday with the addition of another 19. In the 2008 elections, 147 symbols were used, the paper said. With another 34 symbols approved by the presidency and deletion of eight, as proposed by the ECP, the number of symbols has risen to 173, it added. The report quoted election commission’s Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan, as saying that on an average 15 new political parties sought registration every month. Although forming an association was a fundamental right, he said, standards would have to be set to check mushroom growth of parties, he added. ANI