[🇵🇰] Pakistan General Elections -- 2024

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ECP dispels false fatwa against women voting​

Vows Section 9 action if women barred from electoral activities

Our Correspondent
January 29, 2024

A Kashmiri woman giving thumb impression on ballot paper at polling station during AJK Legislative Assembly Elections 2021. PHOTO: APP

ISLAMABAD: Responding to reports of a purported fatwa (Islamic decree) barring women from voting in Kohistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) debunked the claim on Monday, asserting its commitment to combat any restrictions on women's participation in elections.

However, the electoral body clarified that if any woman faced impediments in campaigning or voting during the upcoming elections, it will invoke Section 9 of the Elections Act to take appropriate action.

The ECP stressed that it has the authority to declare the election process null and void in any constituency where women are unjustly barred from participating in the electoral process.

 

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More of the same?

Several factors inject unpredictability into the electoral outcome.

www.dawn.com

IS the general election this time any different from previous ones? Or is it more of the same? There are several significant similarities with past polls. The same parties are contesting — some reincarnations of older ones while others cobbled together by defectors from another party.

They are led by the same political figures. Many contestants running as independents are familiar names. The establishment’s ubiquitous role is no different from the past. Its interventions to limit the electoral chances of one political party mimics the past; this time it is PTI; in the last election it was PML-N. The issueless character of the election campaign is also not new.

But there are also several departures from the past which have been obscured in much of the commentary about the elections. For a start, the polls are taking place against the backdrop of the most serious economic crisis the country has ever faced. This itself is distinct from the past as it has involved far-reaching repercussions for people, in the form of a cost-of-living crisis, rising unemployment and increased poverty.

This has come on the back of continuing power shortages across the country with gas ‘load-shedding’ being even more frequent this winter season. These are all drivers of public discontent. It is yet to be seen how this will manifest itself at the ballot box and who voters will attribute their economic plight to.

A second difference is the intensely polarised atmosphere in which the election is taking place. Polarised politics is of course not new. But the extent of polarisation today is unprecedented, dividing people and society along intensely partisan lines. There is much less tolerance than in the past for political opponents, while a toxic quality has been injected into the political conversation and debased what passes for debate.

Three, and perhaps the most visible break from the past, is the subdued nature of the election campaign that is in progress. This is somewhat paradoxical, given the deep polarisation in the country. But it is partially explained by the restrictions placed on one of the parties. Missing is the festive atmosphere and public fervour that usually characterises the run-up to elections.

 

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Empty promises and soaring prices​

No party is focusing on the economy’s core issues in the short run or how to overcome the challenges of huge external debt payments in the long run.

 

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No Surprise here ........

Please avoid laughing Thanks....

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All parties represent elite except PPP: Bilawal​

PPP chairman vows to double salaries of common man if voted to power

News Desk
January 30, 2024

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addressing a rally in Dera Ismail Khan on January 8, 2024. PHOTO: PPP MEDIA CELL


Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, addressing a political rally in Dera Ismail Khan, criticised rival parties participating in the electoral campaign, stating that others only represent the elite besides PPP.

 

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Framework for polls result release finalised​

Over 859 ROs from various regions to be equipped with internet-enabled mobile devices linked with EMS

Amna Ali
January 30, 2024

PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE

ISLAMABAD: With the imminent February 8 general elections on the horizon, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday successfully concluded preparations for the release of general election results.
Over 859 returning officers from various regions across the country will be equipped with mobile internet devices, establishing a link with the Election Management System (EMS).

 

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PTI-affiliated candidate shot dead while canvassing in Bajaur: police​

DPO says incident appears to be a "targeted killing"; 5 injured in grenade attack on PPP election office in Quetta.

 

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Campaigning in full swing in old city areas​

Voters in NA-118 unhappy with previous winners

Bilal Ghouri
January 29, 2024

PHOTO: FILE

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LAHORE: With election campaigning under way in full swing in the National Assembly constituency NA-118, local voters are demanding the solution of their problems including infectious diseases due to illegal factories, lack of development work for a long time, as well as unavailability of potable water and gas supply.

The constituency in Lahore is of great political importance, but this time the voters appear dissatisfied with the candidates.