Tag: ECP

  • Banned by govt, TLP actively takes part in Cantonment Board polls

    Banned by govt, TLP actively takes part in Cantonment Board polls

    Months after being banned by the government, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) fields 84 candidates in 17 of the 41 cantonments, reports Dawn.

    Polling will be held on Sunday (tomorrow) to elect general members of the Cantonment Boards.

    A list of candidates of all the 219 wards shows that the ultra-rightwing TLP has fielded the largest number of 57 candidates in nine cantonments of Punjab, followed by 24 in six cantonments of Sindh and three candidates in two cantonments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

    The party, however, has not fielded any candidate in any of the nine wards of the three cantonments in Balochistan.

    Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, while speaking to Dawn, said that only the Supreme Court had the authority to disqualify a political party from contesting the elections.

    He was of the opinion that the ban placed on the TLP was an administrative step. “There are two phases — one is administrative and the other is judicial. Until the judicial phase is not complete, the party cannot be stopped from participating in the elections,” explained Fawad.

    However, the minister criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for not holding any investigations to find TLP’s source of funding when the commission was swift enough to check the accounts of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the two major Opposition parties.

  • ‘Set Election Commission on fire,’ PTI’s Azam Swati accuses ECP of taking bribes

    ‘Set Election Commission on fire,’ PTI’s Azam Swati accuses ECP of taking bribes

    Federal Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati on Friday accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of taking bribes and being on the payroll of ‘someone’.

    Swati said that the ECP was responsible for destroying Pakistan’s democracy and for rigging all elections. Swati added that such institutions should be “set on fire”. This happened when the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs met today to vote on two key election bills.

    When the meeting started, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan said that the government would like to respond to the ECP’s 37 objections to the proposed introduction of electronic voting machines (EVMs). While Awan was giving the government’s answers point-by-point to the ECP’s objections, suddenly Azam Swati interjected and accused the ECP of taking money. Opposition members present in the meeting strongly objected to this accusation and protested.

    As the Opposition members were protesting, ECP representatives present in the meeting all got up and said that they will not tolerate such behaviour and are boycotting the meeting. ECP representatives then walked out.

    Chair Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs Senator Taj Haider asked a few Opposition members to go and talk to the ECP representatives so as to bring them back to the meeting. By the time Senator Kamran Murtaza went to bring them back, the ECP delegation had left the building.

    Meanwhile, Azam Swati kept hurling accusations at the ECP even after the constitutional body’s representatives had left. Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and other Opposition members condemned Swati’s remarks and said that he cannot accuse a constitutional body of taking bribes, and asked for proof.

    Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar asked Swati: “Kis se paisay pakrray hain ECP ne? Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) se ya Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) se?”

    [Translation: Tell us who has given money to the ECP? PPP or PML-N?]

    Swati and Khokhar then had a heated exchange.

    “I told Swati that the government should stop browbeating the ECP. It is a constitutional body. How can the government accuse a body of taking bribes without any proof — only because the ECP does not agree with the government on EVMs? Such accusations are shameful,” Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar told The Current. Senator Khokhar added that the government must apologise to the ECP.

    After things calmed down, Babar Awan asked for permission to continue with his answers to the ECP objections. He was then told that since the ECP members are not present anymore, he cannot continue in their absence. The standing committee then decided to vote on the amendments but the government raised objections as Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri was not present in the meeting. Due to her absence, the Opposition members were in majority today. The government asked that she should be allowed to vote via video link.

    According to sources, Senator Zehri had missed her flight from Karachi in the morning. The government wanted to delay the voting till she could take a flight and reach Islamabad after the Friday prayers. It should be noted that Senator Samina Zehri had been included in the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs by Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani in order to tilt the balance towards the government in the Senate panel, as per Dawn.

    The Senate panel rejected the government’s proposed amendments but the government members walked out and did not take part in the voting process and walked out.

    Babar Awan tweeted that the government will get the two election bills passed through a joint session of parliament.

  • ECP accepts Miftah Ismail’s plea for a vote recount

    ECP accepts Miftah Ismail’s plea for a vote recount

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday reserved the verdict on PML-N’s Miftah Ismail’s plea for a vote recount in the NA-249 by-poll. The ECP accepted Ismail’s request for a vote recount . All parties have been summoned to the RO’s office on May 6 for a vote recount.

    Ismail had written a letter to Chief Election Commissioner, seeking a vote recount in NA-249 after he lost the poll by 683 votes. PPP’s Mandokhel had won the NA-249 By-Election.

    A four-member commission of the ECP headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the plea.

    PML-N’s counsel Salman Akram Raja in his argument stated that a large number of Form 45 were not duly signed by the presiding officers, while agents of PML-N were also not given Form 46. Raja demanded the ECP to initiate an inquiry on the irregularities surfaced in the Karachi by-poll.

    The PPP’s counsel Latif Khosa opposed the re-polling in the constituency and said that it is not enough to say that irregularities were made. “You should highlight where irregularities were reported,” Khosa added.

    After hearing from both sides, the chief election commissioner announced the judgement.

  • SC rejects PTI’s appeal; Daska re-polling order by ECP upheld

    SC rejects PTI’s appeal; Daska re-polling order by ECP upheld

    The Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regarding re-polling in NA-75 Daska’s entire constituency.

    A three-member bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial gave a short order upholding the earlier order of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for re-polling in NA-75.

    Celebrating the SC’s decision, Maryam Nawaz tweeted that it had once again been proven that the government had tried to rob the votes of the people of Daska. She said that only re-polling is not enough. “Those who robbed the votes will have to be made answerable.”

    Reacting to the same, Punjab chief minister’s aide Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that they respected the apex court’s judgement and the PTI would win again.

    The development comes a day after PML-N demanded re-polling in 109 ‘controversial’ polling stations of the NA-75 Daska, if not the entire constituency.

    In February, the ECP had announced that new elections will be held in NA-75 after its returning officer alleged irregularities during the by-polls in a report submitted to the commission.

  • Contempt case against ECP possible, warns govt

    Contempt case against ECP possible, warns govt

    Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that the government will begin contempt proceedings against the members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), including the chief election commissioner (CEC) if they do not resign from their posts.

    Addressing a press conference along with Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar on Tuesday, Fawad said that the government is working with the Attorney General of Pakistan and will go for contempt of court proceedings against ECP officials. He warned that the ECP officials should step down themselves or legal options will be exercised.

    Earlier, the government had demanded election commission officials to resign and reconstitute the election body as it “failed to act as a neutral umpire”. 

    Meanwhile, ECP has sent notices to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its own scrutiny committee to appear before the watchdog on March 22 to explain their stance over keeping secret the foreign funding documents of the ruling party.

  • ECP rejects PTI petition seeking stop on Gilani notification

    ECP rejects PTI petition seeking stop on Gilani notification

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has rejected a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking to stop the notification of newly-elected Senator Yousaf Raza Gilani.

    According to reports, the election watchdog sought amendments to the petition.

    Last Wednesday, Gilani, who was fielded as a joint candidate of the 11-party Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on a technocrat seat from Islamabad, defeated Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh in Senate elections in a major setback to the government. He received 169 votes to the latter’s 164.

    On Saturday, three PTI leaders — Farrukh Habib, Maleeka Bokhari, and Kanwal Shauzab — approached the election commission to halt the issuance of the victory notification for Gilani until a probe into a contentious video, showing the former prime minister’s son Ali Haider Gilani explaining to MPs how to waste their votes, is completed.

    In another petition filed on Monday, the trio sought an early hearing of the case which was earlier scheduled for March 11 — a day before the election for the office of Senate chairman.

    “The matter is extremely important as a senator elected with corrupt practices is now aspiring to become the chairman of Senate,” the petition said.

    “It is a matter of utmost importance, which will have far-reaching consequences.”

    “The election of Yousuf Raza Gilani has been a rare incident in the national political history,” the request further said.

    “Hopefully, the election commission will hear the matter urgently, as it heard the issue related to [the] by-election in NA-75, Daska.”

    “The issuance of the notification should be stopped till the action on the video scandal is completed,” the petition said.

    The video, which had emerged hours before legislators across the country were set to go to Senate elections, showed Ali Gilani explaining to MPs how to cancel their votes. In a press conference, Ali Gilani accepted that he was in the leaked video, but denied he was engaging in a deal to buy votes for his father.

    A separate video clip showed Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah assuring four MPs of getting paid “over and above” the agreed amount and also resolve all issues from the provincial government.

    The person, who was seen finalising the deal, told Shah that all the four were “sold” and, in return, Shah also assured the legislators that all the tasks of his “brothers” were now his own responsibility.

  • ‘I am not a fortune teller,’ says Shehbaz Sharif

    ‘I am not a fortune teller,’ says Shehbaz Sharif

    Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif says that he is not a najoomi (fortune teller).

    Read more – Vawda resigns from National Assembly after casting Senate vote

    Speaking to the media while in the Parliament to cast his vote in the ongoing Senate polls, Sharif said: “Every member will vote as per his/her conscience…we hope that the Election Commission will ensure transparency in polls.”

    When asked how hopeful he was of a [PDM] win, Sharif replied: “I am not a najoomi [fortune teller],” adding that the government’s incompetence is out there for the world to see.

    Sharif, who is in custody, was released on production orders in order to cast his vote in the Senate Elections. He also presided over a parliamentary party meeting of the PML-N.

  • ‘ECP should ask IT Ministry, not PTA for phone data,’ says Fawad Chaudhry

    ‘ECP should ask IT Ministry, not PTA for phone data,’ says Fawad Chaudhry

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has approached the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to share the call record data of the 20 presiding officers who went ‘missing’ during the Daska by-polls in NA-75, The News has reported.

    Last week, the ECP had announced that new elections in the entire constituency will be held in NA-75 (Daska) after its returning officer alleged irregularities during the by-polls in a report submitted to the commission. Government sources told The News that the PTA has asked the government whether to share the data with the ECP or not.

    Speaking to The Current, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that the ECP has all the right to secure phone data though it “should ask the IT Ministry and not PTA under rules of business”.

    According to the story published in The News, the government may be uneasy about the phone data as it could reveal who had planned and supervised the Daska by-poll rigging. The phone records “will not only establish the whereabouts of these 20 presiding officers during the time when they were missing but will also uncover those they were in contact with”.

    On February 22, Prime Minister Imran Khan had tweeted that as he had always struggled for fair and free elections, he would ask the PTI candidate in NA-75 to ask for re-polling in the 20 polling stations that had become controversial. But the ECP later called for new elections in the entire constituency.

    The PTI has now decided to challenge the ECP’s decision for re-polls.

  • Senate Election on March 3 will be conducted as per past practice: ECP

    Senate Election on March 3 will be conducted as per past practice: ECP

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday said that it deliberated on the order/opinion of the Supreme Court passed yesterday in Presidential Reference and has “decided to implement it in letter and spirit”.

    In a statement, the ECP said that it is taking all possible steps and measures to fulfil its constitutional duty to check that corrupt practices in the Senate Elections are guarded against.

    The ECP has decided to constitute a committee in this regard so that they can give their recommendations regarding the use of technology in the Senate Elections within a period of four weeks.

    The ECP has decided that “due to time constraint, ensuing Senate Election scheduled for March 3, 2021 will be conducted as provided in the Constitution and Law as per past practice”.

    https://twitter.com/profaltafkhan/status/1366629264746020866

    In a short order issued yesterday, the Supreme Court observed that the Senate Elections are held in accordance with the law and the Constitution, saying it “is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to protect the polls from the menace of corruption”.

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry tweeted that though the Supreme Court’s opinion on the matter was different, the ECP’s decision to delay the use of technology till the next Senate polls was astonishing.

    He added that both the apex court and ECP are respectable for him.

    All eyes will be on former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani’s election tomorrow.

    He is contesting as the joint candidate of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) against PTI’s Finance Minister Hafeez Sheikh.

    The election between Gillani and Sheikh is important as a Gillani win would prepare the ground for a no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran.

    Meanwhile, the premier is taking this contest quite seriously and is leading the Senate campaign for the government. He held back-to-back meetings with lawmakers on Monday and will also host a luncheon today for National Assembly lawmakers.

  • Rigging: ECP announces re-election on Daska seat, summons IG and chief secretary

    Rigging: ECP announces re-election on Daska seat, summons IG and chief secretary

    The Election Commission of Pakistan has announced that new elections will be held in NA-75 (Daska) after its returning officer alleged irregularities during the by-polls in a report submitted to the commission on Tuesday.

    The election watchdog has said that new elections in the constituency will be held on March 18, two weeks after the Senate elections. According to the ECP, polling will be held in all stations of the NA-75 (Sialkot-IV) instead of a mere 14 because elections weren’t transparent.

    The chief election commissioner (CEC) stated that the ECP came to the conclusion that a “conducive environment was not available for the candidates and voters and the election had not been conducted honestly, justly, fairly and in a transparent manner”.

    According to Section 9 of the Election Act, the ECP has the power to declare a poll void if “the commission is satisfied that by reason of grave illegalities …have materially affected the result of the poll at one or more polling stations … it can call upon voters to recast their votes.”

    ‘IG, SECRETARY SUMMONED’:

    Meanwhile, the election watchdog has decided to suspend the concerned government officials, particularly the deputy commissioner, assistant commissioner, district police officer over rigging in the election. The ECP has also sought an explanation from the police chief of Punjab and the chief secretary, said senior journalist Ansar Abbasi.

    The presiding officers, who went “missing” and submitted forged result after several hours, will face trial for their part in the electoral manipulation.

    RIGGING IN BY-POLLS:

    In a plea to the ECP, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had alleged that Daska by-polls were hijacked by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the final results were changed to favour Ali Asjad Malhi of the PTI. The vice president of the party, Maryam Nawaz, had also shared a number of videos to back her claims up. She had demanded fresh elections in Daska.

    Subsequently, the ECP withheld the results in NA-75 and started a probe into the rigging allegations. The commission had said results of the NA-75 constituency were received with “unnecessary delay”, adding that it tried to contact the presiding officers several times but with no success.

    During his appearance before the Election Commission of Pakistan committee on Tuesday, RO Athar Abbas had said that the initial investigation revealed that the presiding officers of at least 20 polling stations manipulated the result.

    The RO’s report quoted by Dawn said at least 20 presiding officers went missing for an entire night after the vote count at their station. It added that the presiding officers also appeared before the ECP panel after much delay.

    “The replies of almost all the presiding officers were stereotype that they were able to complete the counting process by 10 to 10.30pm and started back journey to the office of returning officer on the transport provided by the Election Commission and in escort of police but due to fog, they reached the office of returning officer at about 4.30am and most of them stated their phone batteries were low and they were having no chargers, in response to the questions that they were supposed to send snapshots of the result of the count through WhatsApp but they did not do the same,” the report read.

    As per the report, there was no discrepancy in the record of three out of 23 polling stations from where the presiding officers had disappeared. The returning officer has proposed re-polling at 14 polling stations were there was a marked difference between the number of polled votes in two different sets of form-45.

    On Friday, at least two people were shot dead as a result of firing at the polling place in Daska.