[🇵🇰] Pakistan General Elections -- 2024

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PPP urges prompt Senate elections to fill 11 vacant seats​

Updated Feb 29,
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has urgently called for elections to fill the currently vacant seats in the Senate.

In a letter addressed to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), PPP Senator Taj Haider highlighted that 11 Senate seats are now unoccupied due to the resignation of several senators who have now been elected as members of the assembly.

The seats left vacant include those of Yousuf Raza Gilani, Jam Mehtab, Nisar Khuhro, Gafoor Haideri, Sarfraz Bugti, Nuzhat Sadiq, Sadiq Sanjrani, Prince Umar, the late Rana Maqbool, Shaukat Tareen, and Anwarul Haq Kakar.

The vacancies in the Senate have arisen as a result of senators resigning from their positions, with some opting to become members of the National Assembly following their success in the general elections.

 

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Ali Muhammad Khan, Sher Afzal Marwat attend NA session donning ‘Imran mask’​

Feb 29, 2024
In a display of solidarity, key figures from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) including Ali Muhammad Khan and Sher Afzal Marwat made a notable entrance into the National Assembly today donning the mask of their party's founder and former prime minister, Imran Khan.

The inaugural session of NA was chaired by Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf. During the session, newly elected members of the assembly took oath.

The House echoed with slogans in favour of Imran Khan, with lawmakers, including Ali and Marwat, wearing Imran’s face mask and carrying his posters.

Today's session also witnessed the return of PTI to the Parliament after the party resigned en masse, the only difference is that PTI lawmakers have entered the legislature this time around under the banner of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

Despite the unspoken ban on mentioning Imran Khan's name and displaying his photo or video, this is the first time the party has had the chance to take the PTI founder's name and show his photos on television screens; perhaps a small reward for returning to the Parliament.

Seeing the unruly behaviour of the lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, the speaker adjourned the session till 10am on Friday.

 

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ANP won’t participate in parliamentary elections: Asfandyar​

Updated Feb 29, 2024
Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan has declared that ANP members will refrain from participating in the election process within any assembly and the Senate.

In a statement released on Thursday, he emphasised ANP's commitment to civilian supremacy, democracy, and parliamentary strength in the country. Khan expressed concern about the unprecedented use of money in the recent elections, stating that the party is not inclined to cast votes in the provincial assemblies and the Senate under the current circumstances.

He added that despite offers of posts from the current majority parties, ANP does not engage in politics for power or seats. Khan reiterated ANP's principled stance, advocating for the retrieval of the mandate from 'mandate thieves' and its rightful allocation to genuine representatives.

Regarding roles within parliament, Asfandyar mentioned that further decisions would be made through mutual consultation at a later time.

 

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PTI delegation meets Fazl, seeks support for key parliamentary slots​

Updated Feb 29, 2024
A delegation from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) approached Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, seeking support for their nominees for speaker, deputy speaker, and prime minister.

PTI's prime ministerial candidate, Omar Ayub Khan, along with senior party members Asad Qaiser and Junaid Akbar, held discussions with Fazl at his residence.


Following the meeting, Ayub addressed the media, stating their purpose was to solicit votes from Fazl's party for their candidates. "I have come here to seek votes, and that is my right," he asserted.

Responding to queries, Ayub affirmed that Imran Khan was aware of their visit to secure support from JUI-F chief for their candidates. "Imran Khan's stance is to engage with political parties," he added.

 

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Balochistan CM’s election on Saturday​

Feb 29,
The election for the new Balochistan Chief Minister is set to take place on Saturday, as announced by the newly elected Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai during a session of the provincial assembly.

Chairing the assembly session, Speaker Achakzai unveiled the schedule for the election of the Leader of the House, stating that candidates vying for the position of chief minister could submit their nomination forms until 5pm on Friday. The election itself is scheduled to occur on Saturday, with the session adjourned to reconvene at 11am on that day.

Addressing the media following the session, Achakzai affirmed his commitment to impartially preside over the House, assuring equal treatment to both the treasury and opposition benches. He underscored his dedication to upholding the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution.

Achakzai urged the assembly members to rise above their political affiliations and work together for the strengthening of democracy and the welfare of the people. He thanked the MPAs for electing him as Speaker of the Balochistan Assembly.

 

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MQM-P to decide on joining federal cabinet tomorrow: Farooq Sattar​

MQM-P Deputy Convener Farooq Sattar has said that the party would likely decide on joining the federal cabinet tomorrow, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reports.
Talking to a private news channel, he said that it would be politically favourable for the party to sit on opposition benches. At the same time, he said that the MQM-P was ready to take some difficult decisions in the larger national interest.
To a question, Sattar said that the MQM-P’s basic demand was a constitutional amendment to strengthen the local government system, not cabinet portfolios.
The MQM-P would fully support the PML-N in forming the government, he added.

 

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PML-N’s Khawaja Asif says party holding talks with JUI-F​

Former federal minister Khawaja Asif has said that the PML-N’s doors for communication and negotiation with other political parties are open.
He said that PML-N leaders were in contact with the JUI-F leadership and did not want to comment on a “premature situation”.
“If their mandate was stolen in KP, then neither we nor PPP stole the mandate […] If the theft has taken place over there then it was done by PTI,” he alleged.
“We have never closed the door for possibilities,” Asif asserted