Pak EC holds open hearing of SIC’s plea on reserved seats allocation

Candidates of PT! fought as independents after party could not directly participate in Feb 8 polls due to the non-allotment of its electoral symbol the cricket bat

- 

Candidates of 71-year-old Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) fought as independents after the party could not directly participate in the February 8 elections due to the non-allotment of its iconic electoral symbol -- the cricket bat.

To receive the PTI's share of reserved seats for women and minorities in the national and provincial assemblies, the winning independent candidates backed by the party joined the rightwing Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) -- an alliance of Islamic political and religious parties in the Muslim-majority country which represents followers of the school of Sunni Islam.