[🇵🇰] Pakistan General Elections -- 2024

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NA-241 Karachi South-III

Dr Farooq Sattar of the MQM-P is up against the PTI’s Karachi president, Khurram Sher Zaman, and the PPP’s Mirza Ikhtiyar Baig for NA-241. In 2018, Dr Farooq Sattar contested the election in a Karachi East constituency but lost to the late Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain, who contested on behalf of the PTI. Khurram Sher Zaman had won a provincial seat from Karachi in 2018 and is contesting an NA election for the first time.

Dr Sattar is also a candidate for Karachi’s NA-244, where another former PTI MNA, Aftab Jahangir, won in 2018.

NA-261 Surab-cum-Kalat-cum-Mastung

An interesting triangular contest is expected between the political heavyweights in this constituency. Sardar Sanaullah Zehri is in the race, this time on a PPP ticket, against the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal, and JUI-F General Secretary Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri.

Once a close confidant of Nawaz Sharif and Sardar of the Zehri tribe, Sanaullah served as chief minister of Balochistan from Dec 2015 to Dec 2017. He resigned from the office to avoid a vote of no confidence and joined the PPP in August 2021 after developing differences with his party’s leadership.

In 2018, Sanaullah could only secure 7,152 votes and came in fifth position on this seat, which was won by Syed Mehmood Shah of the JUI-F with 26,711 votes. Sanaullah had been a runner-up in 2008 when the seat was won by Ayatullah Durrani of the PPP.

On the other hand, Sardar Akhtar Mengal won an NA seat in 2018 from Khuzdar with over 23,000 votes, defeating Khalid Bizenjo of the BAP. The same year, however, he had lost the election for the Lasbela-cum-Gawadar constituency to an independent, Aslam Bhootani.

Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri emerged victorious in this constituency in the 2002 elections and was the runner-up in the 2013 elections. However, he did not take part in the 2018 elections. He was elected MNA from Kalat for the first time in 1993.

NA-263 Quetta-II

There are a record 46 candidates, including 27 independents, in NA-263. Because so many political bigwigs are in the running, it is difficult to make predictions about this constituency.

PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who lost the 2018 elections from two different constituencies in Balochistan, is up against Rubina Irfan of the BAP, Rozi Khan Kakar of the PPP, and Haji Lashkari Raisani, who is contesting the polls as an independent. This time, Achakzai has secured the backing of the JUI-F in return for supporting Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Pishin.

Lashkari Raisani is the younger brother of former Balochistan chief minister Nawab Aslam Raisani. He resigned as PPP Balochistan president in April 2012 and joined the PML-N in March 2013. He has previously served as a provincial minister in the Balochistan cabinet and also as a senator during a PPP-led government in the centre. In 2018, he contested the elections for an NA seat from Quetta on a BNP ticket but lost to the PTI’s Qasim Khan Suri. Mr Raisani later challenged the results on the basis of the large number of votes that were rejected.

Mr Suri, who went on to become deputy speaker of the NA, remained a lawmaker till his resignation because the court never decided the petition.

Rubina Irfan was an MNA in the last assembly on a reserved seat but has also served as a senator on the PML-Q ticket. Rozi Kakar served as a PPP senator from 2012 to 2018.

 

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Selling change​

Does Imran Khan’s election campaign strategy mirror Donald Trump’s?

TALHA BIN HAMID
“This election will decide whether we are ruled by a corrupt political class. You’re seeing what’s happening. Everybody’s watching. Or whether we are ruled by the people. We’re going to be ruled by the people... That is going to be the choice. A failed political establishment has delivered nothing but poverty, nothing but problems, nothing but losses.”
Do you remember when Imran Khan spoke those words? If you have trouble remembering the precise moment, you are not alone. Khan used these phrases and ideas throughout the 2018 election campaign, ultimately leading his party – and himself – to power.

But look again. This is not Khan at all. This is Donald Trump, November 7, 2016. Surprised?

“Change” (or, more popularly, tabdeeli) has been PTI’s mantra for the past six years. Khan’s personal charm, along with slick and professional media campaigns, have kept this idea alive and well with the public.

The media onslaught has been smart and sophisticated. From ever-catchier jingles, to iconic graphic design work, to the ‘branding’ of each initiative taken by the party (for example, the wheel jam strike in 2014 had the tagline “Shutdown to rebuild”), to attractive election posters with stylised portraits, PTI’s marketing campaign has consistently been savvy and dynamic.

The promise was and remains bold: PTI would wipe the slate clean of the corrupt ways of political administration and bring real change. The biggest USP of the PTI remains this: neither the party nor the leader have ever been in power on a national level. This and this alone, has helped paper over a lot of inconsistencies between the message and reality.

Moreover, thanks to the impact of the election campaign, PTI fans still believe. Even those who did not necessarily align themselves with PTI politically are cautiously hopeful. Khan’s strong and consistent campaign has been relentless and on-brand without fail. The campaign has been run like a well-oiled machine with an obvious professional touch that has elevated it above those by other parties; the ideals of governance laid down are clear and unambiguous.

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Returning for a moment to Trump, his campaign strategy was focused on two catchphrases: “Make America Great Again” and “Draining the Swamp”. The first message was that US was not functioning to its peak potential due to policies adopted by Trump’s predecessors and the political administration was a ‘swamp’ riddled by a lack of transparency and corruption. It seems that the playbook has been adapted by the PTI.​

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Over time, with the evolution of PTI’s politics, the message has shifted in tone slightly. The party focused on enlisting fresh, untested faces in the 2013 elections, reinforcing the brand identity. However, in the intervening five years, two key developments in the political climate took place.

Firstly, PTI held a government in KP and its performance there came under scrutiny. Being part of the political machine for five years meant that PTI could no longer rely on its ‘fresh and untested’ status and had to answer for its governance. Secondly, as the party sensed a greater chance of forming the government on a national level, it adopted strategies that it once scoffed: enlisting tried and not necessarily true ‘electables’ from other parties, and banking on social infrastructure development in KP. To counter that, the party doubled down on the two messages: the persona of Khan himself and its governance record in KP.

The narrative largely worked. With its rivals weakened due to a variety of internal and external factors, PTI strategised its campaign, focusing on a socio-economic agenda. The presence of Asad Umer in its ranks helped on that front.

Now, the elections are over and PTI fans and neutral observers alike now eagerly wait for the promised ‘change’. The task at hand now is to convince the public that ‘good enough’ is not good enough.

Returning for a moment to Trump, his campaign strategy was focused on two catchphrases: “Make America Great Again” and “Draining the Swamp”. The first message was that US was not functioning to its peak potential due to policies adopted by Trump’s predecessors and the political administration was a ‘swamp’ riddled by a lack of transparency and corruption. It seems that the playbook has been adapted by the PTI.

As the realities of governing a country materialise, the PTI’s media strategy remains focused on the future. The message is, "Wait and see, we can deliver.". While the strategy is working for now, it is high time that the ideals are put into practice, for the betterment of the party and for the betterment of the country.

 

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PTI candidates in Islamabad spend poll eve seeking bail, activists’ release​

IHC CJ grants bail to Amir Mughal; Shuaib Shaheen and Muhammad Ali Bukhari successfully seek release of their supporters.

 

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Elections were 100 pc transparent and peaceful: CEC​

Updated Feb 08, 18:11
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja said today's electoral process was "100 per cent transparent and peaceful" as political parties, and human rights organisations decried the unexpected suspension of cellular and internet services.

Addressing the media after the polling time concluded, the CEC stated that the polling process continued without any interruptions. "No citizen was prevented from casting their vote," he added.

"Where connectivity is an issue, the concerned Presiding Officer will personally go to the office of the concerned Returning Officer and issue Form 45," Raja stated.

He said once uploaded in EMS, Form 45 will automatically be received wherever services are restored.

Addressing complaints about voting process delays in some polling stations, the election commissioner said time can be extended till 2 PM on the day if it is asked to be extended.

"Timing was extended at three polling stations in Gujrat on the concerned ROs requests," he said.

 

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PTI leader writes letter to CEC on internet suspension​

Updated Feb 08, 16:58
Senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senator Syed Ali Zafar has written a letter to the chief election commissioner (CEC) on Thursday, expressing concern over the suspension of internet and mobile phone services across the country on election day.

According to a statement issued by PTI’s Central Media Department, Ali Zafar, also a PTI senator, stated that the nationwide suspension of mobile phone and internet services on the day of the elections is causing severe and significant damage to Pakistan.

He slammed as “unacceptable” the CEC’s statement in which he dissociated the suspension of internet and mobile phone services from the conduct of free and fair elections.

Senator Zafar reiterated that the Constitution of Pakistan mandates the CEC to ensure the free and fair conduct of elections, and this includes the responsibility for the availability of internet and mobile phone services.

According to the Constitution, the Election Commission of Pakistan has the authority to instruct the government to restore mobile and internet services, Senator Zafar highlighted. He urged immediate action to ensure the restoration of internet and mobile phone services, highlighting the demand on behalf of PTI and the people of Pakistan.