ISLAMABAD, Aug 10: Chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party, Benazir Bhutto, has requested the chief Election Commissioner to allot “arrow” as symbol to the newly-former PPP Parliamentarians.

“The symbol of arrow, which is a copyright of PPP,” should be given to the PPP Parliamentarians, or one else,” Ms Bhutto said in letter written to the chief Election Commissioner.

She stated that the PPP, under her leadership, contested the last four general elections with “arrow” as its symbol. “The symbol of the arrow is associated with the PPP which is considered a copyright of the party.”

Appealing to the CEC for justice she said: “When justice was perverted during the Nawaz regime, the CEC, the respected Justice Qadeer, refused to disqualify me holding that I was entitled to be considered innocent until the appeal process was exhausted. It is my prayer that the precedent set by Justice Qadeer is sympathetically considered by your lordship and the members of the election commission.”

Detailing the efforts, allegedly made by the government to stop her party from taking part in the elections, she said: “The present regime is undermining the electoral process by trying to ban my participation in the October 2002 elections.”

She termed her conviction for not appearing before the court as part of, what she said, government’s efforts to prevent her from contesting the elections.

She alleged that PPP leaders and workers, aspiring for party ticket, had been contacted by the intelligence agencies asking them to switch sides or the regime would rig and defeat them in the elections.