Tag: ECP

  • Battle begins: Hamza Shehbaz refuses to step down after ECP decision

    Battle begins: Hamza Shehbaz refuses to step down after ECP decision

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Hamza Shehbaz has reportedly refused to step down from his position following the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to de-seat 25 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissident Member of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) who voted for Hamza.

    PTI says it will send the CM home through legal means in line with the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) and ECP’s decisions.

    “The game for the fake CM is over after de-seating of the 25 lotas (turncoats),” Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) Moonis Elahi said. He added that after losing the majority in the House, Hamza has no moral or legal grounds to cling to the office.

    Moreover, the Opposition — PTI-PML-Q alliance — sees a run-off election in the coming days claiming Hamza cannot “illegally” hold the office for long.

    It is pertinent to mention that the allocation of five vacant reserved seats will assume an important role if the run-off election is held. According to legal experts, ECP will now distribute these seats as per the current strength of each party in the Punjab Assembly, which means if the PTI gets the most share, it may be able to get the CM post.

    Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said Hamza Shehbaz is not going to resign and still has a majority in the Punjab Assembly. Similarly, PML-N deputy secretary-general Attaullah Tarar said that the ECP’s decision has no impact on Hamza’s office.

    Tarar claimed the PML-N enjoys the support of 177 members in PA against 168 of the PTI-PML-Q combined. He also claimed the PML-N will get three of the five reserved seats, which would take its tally to 180.

    The PTI-PML-Q joint candidate for the CM’s slot and the current PA Speaker Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi said, “I am Imran Khan’s candidate and after taking oath as the CM, I will dissolve the assemblies if he asks me.”

    The Punjab Assembly’s current strength is 346 members: PTI has 158 lawmakers, PML-Q has 10, PML-N 165, PPP seven, five independents, and one Rah-e-Haq Party.

  • ECP says PTI MNAs who ditched PTI can’t be disqualified

    ECP says PTI MNAs who ditched PTI can’t be disqualified

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday dismissed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) references seeking the disqualification of its dissident members of the National Assembly (NA).

    A three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja reserved its decision after hearing arguments from all sides — the PTI and the lawyers of the dissident MNAs.

    The ECP stated that the declarations by the PTI against its lawmakers were not found to be in accordance with the Constitution.

    PTI’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry requested the court to provide a copy of the reserved verdict, saying that he will appeal against it.

    While presenting his arguments, Noor Alam Khan’s lawyer Gohar Khan maintained that Article 63(A)1 does not apply to Noor.

    “The show-cause notice issued by the PTI secretary-general doesn’t have legal status. Therefore, Noor is still a PTI member,” Gohar argued, adding that the show-cause notice issued by the secretary-general was nothing more than a piece of paper as per the law. He maintained that as per the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling, ECP’s full-court bench can give its verdict in the disqualification reference.

    The PTI filed references against 20 MNAs seeking their disqualification under Article 63-A of the Constitution ahead of the no-trust vote against then-premier Imran Khan.

  • PTI ready for elections in three months, ECP makes arrangements

    PTI ready for elections in three months, ECP makes arrangements

    Interim Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has directed his party members and workers to start preparations for the next elections, expressing his hope that the poll will be held in the country in the next three months.

    Addressing a function at Governor’s House in Lahore, he criticised the opposition, saying that they should be given “exemplary punishment for betraying the country”, [for tabling the no-confidence motion in NA against him]. “The PTI will also approach the Supreme Court (SC) against them [Opposition]. “

    Not only this, the interim PM urged the nation to come to the F-9 Park Islamabad to protest peacefully against the Opposition and its conspiracy. He asked the nation to protest on a daily basis to send a message to the United States (US), which he claims, is behind the foreign conspiracy. “Everyone knows who has aided and abetted the Pakistani Opposition in tabling the no-confidence motion.”

    According to The News, after Khan asked the nation to prepare for the next general election in three months, the understaffed Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has started finding a way to make the polls possible during the stipulated time.

    Sources within the commission said that Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja has become active and making arrangements requisite for timely conduct of elections.

    Earlier, a news report published in Dawn quoted an ECP official as saying that it is not possible to hold general elections within three months due to a variety of legal and procedural issues.

    However, the commission denied issuing any statement regarding the time frame for the next general elections on Tuesday.

    According to Fawad Chaudhry, “The [interim] prime minister has decided to give party tickets to those former 135 MNAs who remained loyal and stuck to the party till the end.”

  • ‘We haven’t given any statement on election dates’, Election Commission

    ‘We haven’t given any statement on election dates’, Election Commission

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday denied issuing any statement regarding the time frame for the next general elections. “It is necessary to clarify that the Election Commission of Pakistan has not issued any statement regarding the election,” ECP tweeted.

    Earlier, a news report published in Dawn quoted an ECP official saying that it is not possible to hold general elections within three months due to a variety of legal and procedural issues.

    “Fresh delimitation of constituencies, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the number of seats had been increased under the 26th Amendment, and bringing district- and constituency-wise electoral rolls in conformity were the major challenges,” a senior ECP official told Dawn, adding that it will take six months to prepare for the general elections.

    State Minister for Information Farrukh Habib said on Sunday that fresh elections in Pakistan will be held in 90 days after President Arif Alvi dissolved parliament on the advice of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

  • ECP slaps Rs50,000 fine on PM Khan for holding public gatherings despite warnings

    ECP slaps Rs50,000 fine on PM Khan for holding public gatherings despite warnings

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) slapped a fine of Rs50,000 on Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan, Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister for Communications Murad Saeed and two provincial ministers Dr Amjad Ali and Muhibul Lah for violating the code of conduct as they all attended a public gathering in Swat on March 16 ahead of the no-confidence motion.

    Earlier, the ECP had restricted PM Khan and other government officials from attending any public gathering in districts of KP as the second phase of the local bodies elections is due in the region. Despite this, the premier and his officials ignored the warning.

    According to Geo News, District Monitoring Officer (DMO) Swat imposed a fine on the PM for breaching ECP’s code of conduct. Similarly, for attending a public gathering in Dir on March 19, Lower Dir’s District Monitoring Officer (DMO) Hameedul Lah had imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on PM Khan.

    ECP has reportedly also taken notice of the PM’s upcoming visit to KP’s Mansehra and called it a breach of the code of conduct.

  • Election Commission summons PM Khan for violating code of conduct in Dir

    Election Commission summons PM Khan for violating code of conduct in Dir

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued notices to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) officials on Friday for attending an election rally in Lower Dir in violation of the ECP code of conduct.

    The ECP Lower Dir district monitoring officer (DMO) issued notices to PTI  officials for speaking at a public rally in transgression of the amended code of conduct.

    In the notice, DMO Hamidullah recommended that PM Khan cancels his plans, and now he has summoned him to appear before him on March 14 in person or through counsel, along with a written declaration in his defence.

    “It was conveyed to you that public office holder including prime minister cannot participate in election campaign or canvass in any local council or announce any development scheme after issuance of election schedule,” read the notice served to the prime minister.

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Shah Farman, Chief Minister (CM) Mehmood Khan, federal ministers Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Pervez Khattak, and Murad Saeed were among those who received notices from the ECP.

  • Court reserves decision on PTI’s Faisal Vawda’s appeal against lifetime disqualification

    Court reserves decision on PTI’s Faisal Vawda’s appeal against lifetime disqualification

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserved its decision on the maintainability of an application filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Faisal Vawda against his lifetime disqualification from parliament, reports Dawn.

    Last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Vawda as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) and ordered him to withdraw the notification appointing him as senator for concealing his dual nationality.

    Later, the PTI leader approached the IHC. In his appeal, he stated that Section 8C of the Elections Act, 2017 allowed the ECP to conduct an election but did not empower it to disqualify a candidate. According to him, the commission was directed by the court to “probe the issue of falsity or otherwise of the affidavit expeditiously as per a judgment of the Supreme Court (SC)”.

    The commission said Vawda had submitted a “false affidavit” when submitting nomination papers. However, Vawda’s lawyer, Wasim Sajjad argued in the court that his client [Vawda] did not submit a false affidavit.

    Sajjad maintained that Vawda cancelled his United States (US) passport and acquired a certificate from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and said that he [Vawda] is only a Pakistani citizen.

    Vawda secured the National Assembly seat (NA-249) in July 2018 and got elected as a Senator last year.

    As per the commission, Vawda can approach the Supreme Court (SC) against its verdict.

  • PML-N Ishaq Dar appeals to take Senate oath virtually from UK

    PML-N Ishaq Dar appeals to take Senate oath virtually from UK

    Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) senior leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar has reportedly written a letter to Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in which he expressed his willingness to take his oath as a member of Senate “virtually” from the United Kingdom (UK) due to his illness, states Dawn.

    The letter, dated February 2nd reads, “It is requested that arrangements may please be made to enable me [Dar] to take the required oath, virtually, through any electronic mode as you may deem convenient; the same being within the applicable legal framework and being used by the apex court of Pakistan.”

    The former finance minister attached his medical report along with his appeal. He stated that because of his “prolonged illness and ongoing medical treatment” in the UK, he cannot return to Pakistan to take the oath in person.

    In 2018, following the elections, Dar’s rival candidate, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ‘s (PTI) Nawazish Ali Pirzada, approached the Supreme Court (SC) against Dar’s selection as a senator. At the time, the top court suspended the Election Commission Pakistan (ECP) notification, which declared the PML-N leader’s victory. However, on January 10, the SC gave its verdict in favour of Dar.

    Dar has been living in London since 2017 (before the 2018 general elections). He went there at a time when the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was dealing with a corruption case against him.

  • Faisal Vawda no more a Senator, ECP disqualifies in Dual Nationality Case

    Faisal Vawda no more a Senator, ECP disqualifies in Dual Nationality Case

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday disqualified Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Vawda as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) over his dual nationality at the time of contesting the NA election on a Karachi seat in the 2018 general elections.

    The commission said Vawda had submitted a “false affidavit” when submitting nomination papers.

    The ECP also declared him ineligible for holding the seat of a senator and ordered to withdraw the notification appointing him as senator.

    However, Vawda can approach the Supreme Court (SC) against the verdict, said the ECP.

    ECP had reserved the verdict on Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Qadir Khan Mandokhel’s plea seeking Vawda’s disqualification on December 23, 2021.

    During the last hearing, Mandokhel and Vawda had appeared before an ECP bench. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja had asked Mandokhel whether he wanted to present more documents or give additional arguments.

    Mandokhel had said it was the 30th hearing of the case but he could not get the answers to his questions. The PPP leader had said, “ECP has been issuing warnings for the last one-and-a-half years.”

    Mandokhel was of the view that Faisal Vawda had held United States (US) nationality at the time of filing his election nomination papers. He said that the concerned residing officer (RO) was not punished as he had rejected his papers instead of disqualifying Vawda.

    The PPP leader said that Vawda had falsely declared in an oath to the ECP that he did not hold any foreign nationality. The PTI leader had concealed his dual nationality during the scrutiny of his nomination papers, said Mandokhel.

    Vawda’s counsel rejected the allegations, saying that his client had never applied for another country’s nationality. He said Vawda was born in the US and that his client had cancelled his American passport.

    After hearing the arguments of both sides, the ECP reserved its verdict in Vawda’s disqualification case.

    The News reported in January 2020 that Vawda was a dual national at the time of filing his nomination papers to the ECP to contest the 2018 general elections. Vawda submitted his nomination papers on June 11, 2018, which were approved by the election body a week later on June 18, the report said.

    However, the Vawda applied for the renunciation of his nationality with the US consulate at Karachi four days after his nomination papers were approved act on June 22, 2018, the report revealed.

  • ECP releases list of 150 lawmakers for not filing asset details

    ECP releases list of 150 lawmakers for not filing asset details

    The membership of 150 lawmakers from across the country, including some cabinet members, has been suspended by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for not filing their statements of assets.

    The ECP on Monday released a list of MNAs, senators, and MPAs of the four provincial assemblies who failed to file their statements of assets and liabilities, as well as those of their spouses and dependents, for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2021. These statements have to be filed every year by Dec 31.

    In the 100-member Senate, the membership of three lawmakers has been suspended, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Dr Musadik Malik, Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Dr Sikandar Mandhro, and Balochistan Awami Party’s (BAP) Prince Ahmed Umer Ahmedzai.

    Among the MNAs who have been suspended as members of the lower house are cabinet members Farrukh Habib, Noor ul Haq Qadri, Hammad Azhar, Shafqat Mahmood, and Dr Fehmida Mirza.

    The prominent MNAs who failed to fulfill their constitutional obligation are former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain, Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, Rana Mohammad Qasim Noon and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.