[🇵🇰] Pakistan General Elections -- 2024

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ECP publishes names of candidates for reserved seats in KP Assembly​

The Election Commission of Pakistan has published the names of candidates for reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

In a notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the electoral watchdog said one reserved seat was each allocated to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Pakistan, PML-N and PPP.

 

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SC rejects JUI-F plea seeking repolling in Ziarat​

The Supreme Court has rejected a petition filed by JUI-F leader Khalilur Rehman seeking re-elections at 11 polling stations in PB-7 Ziarat.

During the hearing, Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa said the Constitution was clear that the Election Commission of Pakistan is a “constitutional institution” and should be respected.

 

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Will bring a system where no one’s mandate is stolen, says Gandapur after meeting with Imran​

KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has said the PTI will soon introduce a system which will prevent “mandate theft”.

In a media talk outside Adiala Jail after a meeting with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, he reiterated the demand for a judicial inquiry into the May 9 riots.

Gandapur also asserted that Imran “will soon be among us” and that the ex-premier was in “high spirits”.

While talking about the formation of the government in the Centre, Gandapur said he would work with PM Shehbaz as far as the provincial administration was concerned. “How can I accept the oath of a person who came to the position through mandate theft?” he asked.

The PTI leader further promised that he would work for the rule of law in KP, adding that a massive protest will be held on Sunday across the country.

 

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ECP uploads much-awaited Form 45s on website​

The Election Commission of Pakistan has uploaded Form 45s, Form 46s, Form 48s and Form 49s on its website, 26 days after the February 8 general elections.

 

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Imran wants reconciliation but not with those who ‘stole’ PTI votes, says Aleema Khan​

Aleema Khan, the sister of ex-premier Imran Khan, has said that the PTI founder supports reconciliation, but not with those who “stole” the party’s votes.

In a media talk outside Adiala Jail, she said: “If you want to hold dialogue with thieves then it will be better to open the doors of jail.”

On the other hand, PTI’s Barrister Umair Niazi said Imran has given a call for countrywide protests against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s verdict to deprive the party of reserved seats.

Earlier, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also reached Adiala Jail to discuss the formation of provincial cabinet with Imran.

 

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PTI’s Qaiser laments NA seats ‘stolen’ from SIC, warns taking to streets​

PTI leader Asad Qaiser has lamented the “180 seats stolen” from the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), the new home for PTI-backed lawmakers.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Qaiser said, “You have no respect for our mandate and the 30 million votes we got.”

“A fake prime minister is sitting on the seat right now. And how can a fake PM take this country out of crisis?” he questioned.

“We don’t consider Shehbaz Sharif a legitimate prime minister in any capacity. He himself knows he’s fake,” Qaiser said. “I am scared to think how this country will survive. God forbid there’s a revolution in this country,” he added.

Qaiser warned that the PTI will take to the streets to protest against the mandate “stolen” from them.

Asad Qaiser speaks to media

 

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Zardari, Bilawal meet Shehbaz, reiterate support for PML-N-led govt​

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has met ex-president Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

In a post on X, the PPP said that its leaders assured the PML-N president of their steadfast support for the coalition government for “Pakistan’s financial stability and development and prosperity”.

The PPP delegation, which also included Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, congratulated Shehbaz on assuming the role of the premier.

 

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Seven nomination papers accepted​

Appeals against acceptance of nomination papers could be filed till March 7

Our Correspondent
March 05, 2024

The Election Commission of Sindh on Monday approved the nomination papers of seven candidates from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Sunni Ittehad Council (SCI) for two general seats of the Senate from the province.

The nomination papers were filed for the two seats vacated by the PPP’s Jam Mehtab and Nisar Khuhro, who took oath as members of the Sindh Assembly, following their election in the February 8 general elections.

For the PPP, Aslam Abro, Jam Saifullah, Waqar Mehdi and Azam Dhamrah filed their nomination papers, while Shazia Sohail, Jameel Ahmed and Nazirullah filed their papers on behalf of the SIC. The papers were approved after scrutiny.

Appeals against the acceptance of the nomination papers could be filed till March 7 and the tribunal would decide on these appeals by March 9. The candidates would be able to withdraw from the contest on March 10. Voting on these two seats will be held in the Sindh Assembly on March 14.

 

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JUI-F steadfast on principles, will not accept rigging: Fazl​

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that his party was unwavering in its principles and would not accept rigging at any cost.

While speaking to the media in Lahore, he said the JUI-F believed that both the 2018 and 2024 elected were “rigged”.

“JUI-F is standing on its principles. There was rigging then, there is rigging now […] we did not accept it then, we will not accept them now,” he said.

 

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PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen condemns ‘suspension’ of social media services​

PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen has condemned the recent suspension of social media platforms in Pakistan, urging the government to restore the services as per court orders.

He stated that the internet disruption, which according to him has increased since yesterday, was done after the Election Commission of Pakistan uploaded Form 45s.

“The comments that are coming on them [form 45s] and the conversation that is going on, I think it is to avoid that,” he said in a media talk outside the Supreme Court.

 

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Governor administers oath to 18-member Punjab cabinet​

Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman has administered oath to the 18-member provincial cabinet.

The ceremony was held at the Governor House in Punjab where the newly appointed provincial ministers were sworn in. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also attended the ceremony.

The ministers include Marriyum Aurangzeb, Syed Muhammad Ashiq Hussain Shah, Muhammad Kazim Pirzada, Rana Sikandar Hayat, Khawaja Imran Nazeer, Khawaja Salman Rafique, Zeeshan Rafique, Bilal Akbar Khan, Sohaib Ahmed Malik, Azma Zahid Bukhari, Bilal Yasin, Ramesh Sindh Arora, Khalil Tahir, Faisal Ayub, Shafay Hussain, Sher Ali Gorchani, Sohail Shoukat Butt and Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman.

 

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PTI’s Omer Ayub Khan picked as opposition leader in NA: Barrister Gohar​

PTI’s Barrister Gohar Ali Khan says incarcerated leader Imran Khan has chosen Omer Ayub Khan as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly.

In a media talk outside the Adiala Jail following a meeting with Imran, he said parliamentary affairs of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were discussed with the PTI chief. Barrister Gohar said his party had reservations with the ECP verdict on allocation of reserved seats.

“We already filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court and will now also approach the Sindh and Lahore high courts,” he said.

 

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Pildat recommends thorough and impartial investigation into election-related matters​

The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) has recommended that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) conduct a “thorough and impartial investigation” into several election related matters.

These include delays in the transmission, consolidation and announcement of provisional results, and the failure to publish signed copies of forms 45, 46, 48 and 49 within 14 days of polling day as required under the Elections Act, 2017, and the lack of contingency planning to meet result issuance deadlines in case of the EMS inoperability.

Pildat further recommends that election tribunals should be allowed to resolve disputes on a case-by-case basis
“Pildat is deeply concerned that only two Election Tribunals have been constituted in Punjab compared to eight constituted after 2018 general election and nine reportedly requested by the ECP this time,” according to an assessment by the group.

It also demanded that a Commission of Enquiry be formed similar to the one formed to probe the 2013 election

 

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Feb 8 elections recorded lowest fairness score since 2013: Pildat​

The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) has released its assessment of the 2024 General Election, indicating a concerning decline in fairness scores compared to previous election cycles.

The assessment was based on an independent analysis by Pildat, alongside a questionnaire scored by politicians, lawyers, activists, retired bureaucrats and military officials, and politically aware youth. The assessment was divided into three parts; the pre-polling process, polling on election day, and the post-polling process.

The report — a copy of which is available with Dawn.com — highlighted key issues including political repression, suspension of mobile and internet services on polling day, delay in announcement of election results, delay in publishing the results of Forms 45, 46, 48 and 49 on the website of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and a delay in allocating reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council.

The pre-poll phase — which dealt with questions about the impartiality of key institutions such as the judiciary, the ECP, caretaker governments and intelligence agencies — scored 50 per cent, matching the score of the 2018 election but lower than 62 per cent scored by the 2013 election.

The overall score of the second phase stood at 40 per cent, matching the 2018 election score but significantly lower than the 2013 election score of 50 per cent. This phase assessed the voting process itself, as well as the counting of votes.

The post-poll phase also scored 40 per cent, an “an all-time low score which mirrored that of the 2002 general election which had seen unprecedented post-poll rigging in recent years,” the Pildat report said

 

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Outgoing senators call for strengthening democratic norms​

The outgoing senators have called for further strengthening the democratic norms and joint efforts to steer the country out of economic crises, Radio Pakistan reports.

In her farewell speech, Dr Mehr Taj Roghani stressed the need to adopt austerity measures to curtail the expenditure of the country. She said that there should be a complete ban on free petrol, electricity and other facilities being provided to the high officials.

Maula Bakhsh Chandio emphasised that the bitterness of the past should be set aside to move forward and put the country on the path of development and prosperity, the report stated.

Speaking on a point of order, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed emphasised the need for enhancing trade and economic relations with the neighbouring countries, especially Afghanistan.