[🇵🇰] Pakistan General Elections -- 2024

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PPP seeks applications for Senate elections from party candidates​

The PPP has sought applications from its party leaders aspiring for its ticket for the upcoming Senate elections.

In a post on X, the PPP said leader Nayyar Hussain Bukhari has sought the applications by March 10 for federal and provincial Senate seats.

It also directed the candidates to submit a bank draft of Rs100,000 along with the applications.

 

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Sunni Ittehad Council moves PHC for allocation of reserved seats​

The Sunni Ittehad Council — new home of the PTI — has filed a petition in Peshawar High Court (PHC) against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to reject the allocation of reserved seats to the party.
In its plea, the SIC prayed that the ECP’s verdict be set aside and the party be given its “due right” to reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies.
The petition has been fixed for hearing and will be taken up by a two-member bench comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Shakeel Ahmed

 

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Dialogue with Imran mandatory, says Elahi​

PTI president claims that his party’s candidates lost the Feb 8 polls due to the alleged tampering of Form 45

Our Correspondent
March 06, 2024

Former Punjab CM Parvez Elahi. SCREENGRAB

ISLAMABAD: Citing the formation of “fake cases” and underlining the necessity of “return of PTI’s real mandate”, party’s Central President Parvez Elahi has emphasised that the government’s “proposal for reconciliation” holds no significance.

Talking to media after appearing before the anti-corruption court, the PTI president claimed that his party’s candidates lost the Feb 8 polls due to the alleged tampering of Form 45.

“The country is being pushed towards a dire crisis by disregarding the public mandate. The election commission has reached the ‘height of cruelty and injustice’ by allocating our reserved seats to the Pakistan Democratic Movement,” he said.

The PTI leader stressed that the only way to steer the country of the current crisis was to hold “direct and meaningful dialogue” with Imran Khan.
“Government’s offer for reconciliation holds no meaning [in the wake of] fabricated cases and until the return of PTI’s real mandate.”

 

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PHC extends bar on oath-taking of reserved seats MNAs till March 13​

5-member larger bench takes up joint plea of PTI, SIC; summons AGP Awan again at next hearing.

 

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Army commands respect as defender, not decision-maker: Fazl​

The Newspaper's Staff Reporter
March 7, 2024

LAHORE: “I don’t accept this electoral mandate and I hold those responsible who have done it, not those for whom it was done,” said chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, here on Wednesday.

Inaugurating lawyers’ wing of his party, he insists if the establishment sabotages the electoral process and interferes in the democratic procedures, resolutions of Corps Commanders’ Conference cannot deter criticism of it. The army as a defender of Pakistan is respected, but not as a political decision-maker.

Berating the judiciary, he wonders how can this judicial system accept 100 cases in a week’s time against a person fallen out of favour of the military establishment and decide in favour of another 100 against a person, who has won favour of the army?

 

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Perturbed at audio leaks, MQM-P dissolves key decision-making body​

Imran Ayub
March 7, 2024

• Forms seven-member ad-hoc committee to run party affairs
• No decision yet on whether to support Asif Zardari in presidential election

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Wednesday dissolved its top decision-making forum known as coordination committee a week after it claimed that the party had found “someone from MQM-London”, who had sneaked into its ranks and was working for its founder Altaf Hussain, when audio clips of its senior leaders were leaked turning the spotlight on the party.

It formed a seven-member ad-hoc committee with Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui as convener and Mustafa Kamal, Dr Farooq Sattar, Nasreen Jalil, Anis Qaimkhani, Kaiful Wara and Rizwan Babar as its members.

It all came up last week when audio clips of senior party leaders Mustafa Kamal and Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori got leaked on social media one after another giving strength to the impression of alleged rigging in general elections

 

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IHC issues notice to ECP on MWM plea​

Malik Asad
March 7, 2024

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan on a petition filed by Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) seeking a directive for the ECP to upload Forms 45 and 47 on its website.

IHC Justice Aamer Farooq heard the petition.

Advocate Imaan Zainab Mazari, appearing on behalf of the MWM, argued before the court that the ECP was under obligation to upload these forms as well as other documents related to constituency-wise election on its website in 14 days under the Elections Act.

She said the ECP had failed to comply with the statutory provision of uploading the Form 45 and Form 47 on its website.

She pointed out that the ECP uploaded these forms on its website for a while, but removed them later.
She requested the court to order the ECP to upload these forms on its website.

Justice Farooq also clubbed an identical petition filed by PTI leader Shoaib Shaheen and issued the notice to the ECP and adjourned the hearing till next week.

 

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Federal cabinet to be decided after presidential vote: Rana Sanaullah​

PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah has said that the federal cabinet would be decided after the new President takes oath on March 10.
Speaking on Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath, the former interior minister said: “I think it will be done by March 10-11.”
When asked why the cabinet formation was being delayed and if the delay was because PML-N leader Ishaq Dar’s role could not be decided so far, Sanaullah explained that everyone was focusing their attention to the presidential vote.

 

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Bilawal says Zardari’s presidential role similar to Queen of England’s​

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that the presidential nominee and his father Asif Ali Zardari will have a role similar to the one Queen of England had in the United Kingdom.
While addressing the media after a meeting of the coalition government, the former foreign minister said that it would be the first time that a civilian would hold the presidential office twice.
He said that because of the 18th amendment, all the responsibilities of the president had been transferred to the parliament and national assembly, which was a “huge victory” in Pakistan’s political struggle.
“Now I tell him that this time around, your role would be that of the Queen of England in the United Kingdom,” he said.

 

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Zardari assures PM Shehbaz of allies’ support in face of prevailing challenges​

Former president Asif Ali Zardari has said that coalition parties are standing alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the wake of prevailing challenges being faced by the country.
Addressing the media today with PM Shehbaz, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other allied party leaders, Zardari said: “We will use [all our strength] whenever the need arises, will give them electoral and even international help when needed.”
He also suggested that the country could be a force multiplier for China if they uplift agricultural techniques, fix canal linings and make a dam.