Tag: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)

  • Bushra Bibi wants solitary meeting with Imran Khan

    Bushra Bibi wants solitary meeting with Imran Khan

    In a notable development, Bushra Bibi, former First Lady, and the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, has submitted a request to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking permission for a solitary meeting with her husband, reported Geo News.

    The request filed by Bushra Bibi in the IHC emphasises the legal constraints that hinder private interactions on domestic matters.

    The application states that the court has granted permission for meetings with Chairman PTI every Tuesday.

    It further states that discussions on personal matters are challenging in the presence of prison officials. 

    Bushra Bibi, in her plea, implores the court to issue specific instructions to the Superintendent of Adiala Jail, ensuring that solitary meetings are facilitated in accordance with legal provisions.

    The former prime minister is currently being held in Adiala Jail after his arrest from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on August 5.

    He was moved to the prison on September 26 from Attock Jail where he was initially kept after his arrest.

    Khan was first convicted by a lower court in the Toshakhana case in August and sentenced to three years of imprisonment. The IHC suspended his sentence the same month.

    The Islamabad accountability court issued arrest warrants for PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana and £ 190 million Al-Qadir Trust cases on Tuesday.

    Khan was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9 for the first time.

    The £ 190 million (approximately Rs60 billion) settlement case pertains to the money of property tycoon, Malik Riaz, being laundered and caught by the UK authorities during Imran’s government in 2019. 

    The UK government had informed the Pakistani authorities regarding the money being caught.

    The former premier is already in prison as he was subsequently booked in the ‘cipher’ case.

    In the cipher case, Khan, along with his close aide and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, has been accused of leaking state secrets.

  • Arrest warrants issued for Imran Khan in two more cases

    Arrest warrants issued for Imran Khan in two more cases

    An Accountability Court in Islamabad on Monday issued arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in cases pertaining to the Toshakhana and 190-million-pound Al-Qadir Trust. 

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed an application to comply with the arrest warrants of Chairman PTI.

    Judge Mohammad Bashir conducted the hearing on the two cases where NABfiled an application seeking Khan’s arrest warrants.

    Judge Bashir approved the issuance of the warrants while directing the jail superintendent to take measures to ensure the warrants were complied with.

    Deputy Prosecutor General NAB Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, Prosecutor Irfan Bhola, Investigation Officers Mohsin, Waqarul Hasan, Mian Umar Nadeem, and others appeared before the court.

    The court asked the prosecutor what the High Court did in these cases.

    To which the prosecutor replied that the matter was pending, mentioning that the court neither suspended the order nor issued a standing order.

    The warrants are expected to be complied with in jail today. Imran Khan will be provided with a copy of the warrant as well as briefed about the reasons for his arrest.

    Sources said that the NAB has decided to immediately arrest Khan after the issuance of his arrest warrants, as per Aaj News.

    The anti-graft body is likely to arrest the PTI chief today from Adiala jail where a team including investigation officers of the Bureau will arrive to ensure compliance with the warrants, they added.

    The former prime minister is currently being held in Adiala jail after his arrest from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on August 5.

    He was moved to the prison on September 26 from Attock jail where he was initially kept after his arrest.

    Bushra Bibi in trouble

    Earlier today, former First Lady Bushra Bibi was summoned by NAB in a £190 million case, and as per media reports her arrest could be on the cards.

    Bushra was summoned at 2 pm to the NAB office in G-6 in Islamabad. Farhat Shahzadi, alias Farah Gogi, a former close aide of Bushra, has also been summoned in the same case today.

    Moreover, NAB also provided Bushra Bibi with an 11-point questionnaire in the Al-Qadir Trust case. 

    During her appearance in the NAB office, Bushra Bibi was questioned about Farah Gogi.

    The questionnaire given to her also included queries about her relations with Farah Gogi, the reasons for creating Al-Qadir Trust, whether she took any courses in jurisprudence or pedagogy, whether she continued to receive benefits from Al-Qadir Trust as a teacher, whether she was satisfied with Farah Gogi’s financial affairs and if Malik Riaz himself showed interest in Al-Qadir Trust or she contacted him. 

  • Jail trial of Imran Khan in Cipher case approved by caretaker cabinet

    Jail trial of Imran Khan in Cipher case approved by caretaker cabinet

    The caretaker federal cabinet has given the green light for the jail trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case, as per Geo News.

    The decision comes in response to security concerns, prompting the Ministry of Law to issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the trial on August 29, following requests from the Interior Ministry and Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain.

    The Ministry of Law emphasized that the jail trial for the PTI chairman was deemed necessary due to security considerations.

    This approval sets the stage for an intra-court appeal filed by Imran Khan against the trial, scheduled to be heard by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on November 14. The court has invited arguments from the attorney general.

    Imran Khan, who was ousted from the prime minister’s office in April last year through a no-confidence motion, initially contested the jail trial through a petition in the IHC.

    However, the court’s single bench, led by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, dismissed the appeal on October 16, citing no apparent malice in conducting the jail trial and advising Khan to address his concerns in the trial court.

    The cipher case, invoking the Official Secrets Act 1923, was registered against Khan and Qureshi in August of this year by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), using Section 5 of the aforementioned law.

    The case revolves around a missing diplomatic cable allegedly containing a threat from the United States to overthrow the PTI government, according to the former ruling party.

    Both Imran Khan and Qureshi face allegations under the Official Secrets Act 1923 in the cipher case, related to a missing diplomatic cable, and are currently detained in Adiala jail.

    The IHC had earlier suspended Imran Khan’s three-year sentence in the Toshakhana case on August 29.

  • ‘Nawaz Sharif cannot play without his own umpires’: Imran Khan

    ‘Nawaz Sharif cannot play without his own umpires’: Imran Khan

    The legal saga surrounding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s jail trial and the controversial cipher case took center stage in Islamabad this week.

    On Tuesday, three witnesses provided their testimonies against the PTI chief and his party’s Vice Chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

    Judge Zulqarnain presided over the proceedings at Adiala jail under the special Official Secrets Act court. PTI legal representatives included Barristers Salman Safdar, Taimur, and Gohar Ali Khan, while special prosecutors comprised of Shah Khawar, Zulfikar Abbas Naqvi, and Raja Rizwan Abbasi.

    During the proceedings, PTI’s lawyer, Salman Akram Raja, representing Khan, raised concerns over the trial’s confined space within the jail premises, emphasizing that it wasn’t in line with legal protocols.

    Family members met the two leaders before witnesses’ statements and cross-examination were conducted; legal teams consulted with Khan and Qureshi. The PTI chief met with his wife Bushra Bibi and sisters Aleema Khan, Noreen Khanum, and Uzma Khan, within the jail premises.

    Qureshi’s daughter, Meharbano, was also present during the trial. She also spoke with the media outside the jail, and demanded justice and a fair trial for her father.

    “Let the family in; no one can have security concerns from their family. Fair trial is my father’s right and as a daughter, I have the right to see the trial,” she added.

    Contempt of court petition

    Adiala jail superintendent responded to the contempt of court petition filed by Khan on Wednesday, requesting the court to dismiss the contempt of court petition.

    “Can’t even think of disobeying the court order,” he stated in his reply.

    The superintendent told the court there is no permanent facility to make phone calls abroad on WhatsApp. He informed the court that the PTI chief spoke with his children on October 18, after the jail took special measures to make the call possible.

    “Arrangements are made for prisoners to speak with family and lawyers at the jail PCO,” he said, adding that the court can direct the Punjab Home Department to amend the rules with regard to making phone calls.

    The court, meanwhile, adjourned the hearing of the contempt petition till Monday due to the absence of Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain.

    Islamabad High Court

    Islamabad High Court’s Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb asked the Attorney General of Pakistan to ensure that the cipher case trial was not conducted in an inappropriate manner, otherwise, it might collapse like a house of cards.

    An IHC bench, comprising Justice Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, heard the intra-court appeal filed by Khan against his jail trial and the appointment of the special court’s judge in the cipher case.

    The court adjourned the proceedings to November 14, allowing time for the attorney general to present arguments.

    Nawaz wants his own umpires

    Talking to media persons outside Adiala Jail, Imran Khan’s lawyer Barrister Umair Niazi said the PTI chief had criticised PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and also rejected the trial of civilians in military courts.

    The PTI lawyer quoted Mr Khan as saying that Nawaz Sharif cannot play without his own umpires and is again looking towards them. All political parties, except the PML-N, are calling for a level playing field, he added.

    Khan expressed concern over the fresh wave of terrorism in the country and said this was because of a “weak” Afghan policy as Mr Bhutto-Zardari, being the foreign minister, did not visit Kabul to address the issue of terrorism.

  • ‘Imran will lead the nation from jail’: PTI Core Committee

    ‘Imran will lead the nation from jail’: PTI Core Committee

    Former ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has declared its intention to participate in the upcoming general elections across all constituencies in the country.

    The decision was made following a key meeting of the party’s core committee.

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had previously confirmed that the general elections will take place on February 8, 2024, after the Supreme Court’s instructions.

    The announcement followed consultations with President Arif Alvi in response to the apex court’s directives.

    The Imran Khan-led party, in its statement, reiterated its determination to take part in electoral politics, adding that “Coercion and fascism will not deter [PTI] from contesting the elections.”

    Addressing former prime minister and party chairman Imran Khan’s incarceration, the statement said: “The PTI chairman will lead the nation after being released [from Adiala jail]”.

    “If the chairman is kept incarcerated, [then] he will lead the nation from the jail,” it added.

    As per Imran Khan’s instructions, the party is set to actively engage in the national and provincial assembly elections, undeterred by any form of coercion or suppression, the core committee affirmed.

    The committee paid glowing tributes to the party chairman for demonstrating “unparalleled courage, resilience, and determination”.

    Imran Khan stands as an embodiment of struggle, resistance, maturity, determination, and perseverance in the pursuit of genuine liberation for the nation, the committee noted, highlighting the chairman’s “unwavering resolve” despite his nearly 100-day “unjust incarceration”.

    Members of the committee highlighted that Imran Khan’s “bravery and unwavering commitment” to not compromise on the true freedom of the nation serve as a wellspring of inspiration for the 240 million Pakistanis.

    The PTI also plans to release a ‘White Paper’ outlining the alleged failures of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and the caretaker government, which, they claim, have contributed to the country’s economic crisis.

    Notably, the PTI has voiced concerns about the lack of a level playing field in the upcoming elections, a sentiment echoed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Both parties have alleged biased treatment favoring the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    Meanwhile, as political parties gear up for the elections, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the PML-N, has directed party members to begin their preparations for the upcoming polls during a recent meeting in Lahore.

  • ‘Kisi media walay ko elections mein doubt hai to apni biwi ko bataye, awam ko nahi’: Chief Justice

    ‘Kisi media walay ko elections mein doubt hai to apni biwi ko bataye, awam ko nahi’: Chief Justice

    Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, issued a firm warning to the country’s media during a hearing of multiple pleas seeking timely elections within 90 days of the dissolution of the assemblies.

    “If media raises suspicions about the elections, they will be committing a violation of the constitution,” he remarked, adding that journalists cannot simply grab a microphone and say there are doubts about the elections.

    “An anchor or reporter cannot raise doubts about whether the elections will happen or not,” he stated.

    Faez Isa warned that if rumors or speculations are spread about the elections, action will be taken by PEMRA.

    The head of the apex court stressed that, “Media outlets should know that they do not have the right to lie. Media freedom has been granted in the constitution.”

    He further said that if a media person has suspicions about the elections, he will not tell the public, but he can tell his wife.

    The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the government to ensure the conduct of general elections on February 8, a day after President Arif Alvi and Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja unanimously agreed on the aforementioned date during a meeting held at the President’s House.

    A three-member bench headed by CJP Isa and comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan heard the case.

    The court, in its order, mentioned that the notification of the general election date has also been issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), stating that no party has any objection to holding elections on February 8.

    Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa asked everyone in the courtroom as well as the Attorney-General for Pakistan, Mansoor Usman Awan, if they had any objection to the election date, but all replied in the negative.

    “After all the requirements are fulfilled, the Election Commission should announce the election schedule,” CJP Isa said.
    The chief justice said: “Elections will definitely be held on February 8, God willing.”

  • FEB 8 2024

    President Arif Alvi announced on Thursday that the general elections will take place in the country on February 8, 2024.

    The X (former Twitter) account tweeted, “On today’s order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, Mr. Sikandar Sultan Raja, along with the Attorney General for Pakistan, Mr. Mansoor Usman Awan, and four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan, came to meet President Dr. Arif Alvi, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, to discuss the date for holding the forthcoming General Elections in the country. The President heard about the progress the ECP has made in delimitation and for elections.”

    It further stated, “After a detailed discussion the meeting unanimously agreed to hold General Elections in the country on 8th February 2024.”

    The Election Commission of Pakistan has also tweeted that elections will be held on February 8.

    The development comes hours after Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa directed the ECP to confer with Alvi on the poll date after the electoral body said that elections would be held on February 11.

    “Let the ECP meet with the President of Pakistan today and the date for holding general elections in Pakistan be appointed,” the top judge said in a written order, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com.

    He directed AGP Awan to arrange the meeting, provide Alvi with the court order and be available to render assistance. “We expect that the matter of appointing a date for holding general elections shall be settled, and this court will be informed tomorrow (Nov 3),” Justice Isa added.

    The order was issued after a three-judge bench comprising the CJP, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan and Justice Athar Minallah heard a set of petitions, calling for holding elections within 90 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures.

  • Raja Riaz, Rana Sanaullah ki prediction sach sabit hui

    Raja Riaz, Rana Sanaullah ki prediction sach sabit hui

    A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah, was hearing petitions filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SBCA) and others seeking directives to hold general elections within 90 days as stipulated by the Constitution.

    During the hearing, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) lawyer, Sharjeel Sawati, said that elections will be held on February 11, as per Geo News.

    Former leader of the opposition in National Assembly (NA) Raja Riaz had said on August 12 this year that the upcoming general elections would be held in February 2024 – three months later than the constitutionally allowed limit of 90 days.

    Talking to Maria Memon on Sawal ye Hai on ARY News, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissident leader said, “Elections will be held 4 to 5 days before or after February 15.”

    While talking to Kashif Abbasi on his program, Off the Record, on Tuesday, August 15, he said, “The ‘elders’ have decided that the general elections will be held in February.”

    PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday, August 15, that his party’s supremo, Nawaz Sharif, was confident that general elections would be held in the country in February next year.

    “He (Nawaz) is sure that elections will take place in February. Delimitation of constituencies has to be completed before then, and it will be completed by December,” Sanaullah said while responding to a question about Nawaz’s expected return to Pakistan during an appearance on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’.

    READ MORE: Finally, ECP gives date for general elections

  • Finally, ECP gives date for general elections

    Finally, ECP gives date for general elections

    A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah, is hearing petitions filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SBCA) and others seeking directives to hold general elections within 90 days as stipulated by the Constitution.

    During the hearing, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) lawyer, Sharjeel Sawati, said that elections will be held on February 11, as per Geo News.

    After being questioned about wether they have consulted with the president of Pakistan on the date or not, the lawyer was instructed to consult with Arif Alvi today.

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Thursday remarked that President Arif Alvi violated the Constitution by not giving a date for general elections.

    At the outset of the hearing, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) counsel Farooq Naek told the court that his party had submitted the request to become a party in the case.

    After this, PTI’s lawyer Ali Zafar started his arguments by saying that the party has limited its petition to only seeking timely elections.

    “Elections must be held within 90 days after the dissolution of assemblies as per the Constitution,” he stressed. At this, CJP Isa said that the plea seeking polls within 90 days has then become ineffective.

    “The court was told that it was impossible to hold polls within 90 days in the previous hearing,” he remarked.

    Zafar then said that PTI only wants elections.

    He further said that there won’t be any parliament and law if elections are not conducted.

    “Giving a date and schedule of elections are two different things. President Dr Arif Alvi had written a letter to hold consultations with the ECP,” he remarked.

    The CJP observed that the president had written in his letter that the court should look into the matter of elections.
    “Is the president saying that court should take notice of the issue about elections,” he questioned.

    At this, Zafar replied that the president had said that the court can also review the matter.

    CJP Isa then said that the president did not give any date for elections in his letter. “Did the president not fulfil his constitutional duty,” he asked.

    Zafar said that the president fulfilled his responsibility by consulting on the elections.

    On this point, Justice Minallah asked why the president wrote the letter in September and not on August 15 after the assemblies were dissolved on August 9.

    “Did the president only ask the Supreme Court verbally to take notice of the matter,” asked CJP. He further said that the head of state wrote the letter to the ECP and not to SC.

    CJP Isa then questioned whether the apex court had the authority to give a date for polls. “Is it necessary for the president to consult the prime minister to give a date,” he inquired.

    Zafar replied that consultations are not necessary as the president has his own constitutional duty to give a date.

    During the last hearing, the SC had issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the federal government for their input on polls within 90 days.

    The ECP had earlier set the date for elections in Punjab on April 30, but then postponed them to October 8 — in Punjab as well as KPK.

    PTI filed a plea in the top court against this decision.

    On April 4, the SC had ordered the government and the ECP to hold elections for Punjab assembly on May 14 but both institutions said this would not be possible due to shortage of resources, including funds and manpower.

    On September 21, the ECP announced that general elections will be held in the last week of January 2024. However, it did not issue a specific date.

    The commission also published the preliminary constituency lists.
    According to the ECP, objections to the preliminary constituency lists will be entertained until October 26, with hearings on these objections slated to run until November 25.

    The final electoral rolls are scheduled for release by November 30, and within 54 days following this publication, the election commission has outlined the election timetable.

  • General Elections ki date aa gaee?

    General Elections ki date aa gaee?

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is getting ready for the next big elections.

    The commission is thinking of setting January 28 as the day for the General Elections in 2024, as per Waqar Satti of Geo News.

    ECP is set to apprise the Supreme Court (SC) after it sought the commission’s response in a case pertaining to timely elections.

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, earlier this week, during the apex court’s hearing on the issue of timely elections, observed that it was “not possible” to meet the 90-day deadline for holding elections and lamented the lack of preparations of the petitioners.

    The CJP’s remarks came as he is leading a three-member bench comprising himself, Justice Athar Minallah, and Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan to hear petitions filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and others, seeking elections within the 90-day constitutional limit.

    During the hearing, the SCBA lawyer apprised the court that the “90-day period will complete on November 3″.

    To this, CJP Isa inquired whether it would even be possible to hold the polls within 90 days, to which the lawyer conceded that even if the top court gives the order even then it will not be possible to hold the elections within 90 days.

    The National Assembly, as well as the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies, were dissolved by the Shehbaz Sharif-led government on August 9.

    This was done so the ECP could have enough time to organize the elections within the 90-day limit.

    However, the ECP had to wait a bit longer to get everything sorted because they needed to consider the new population census approved by the Council of Common Interest (CCI). This meant they had to do some fresh planning and organization.

    The ECP later announced that the new elections would happen in the last week of January 2024. But before they made this announcement, some people had filed petitions in the Supreme Court, asking them to make sure the elections happen within the 90-day limit.

    These petitions were filed a while back but weren’t looked at during the tenure of former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial.