Tag: #election

  • ‘You yourself are the judge’; Nawaz appeals to followers in address

    ‘You yourself are the judge’; Nawaz appeals to followers in address

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif has addressed the nation today for the first time after his victory in all the corruption cases against him.

    “My people, you don’t need to reach out to any court as you yourself are the judge,” the former premier said as he addressed his supporters for the first time since his legal victory in the form of exoneration from major corruption cases.

    The former prime minister also thanked the nation for standing by his side in difficult times.

    “I am hopeful that you [the people] will announce your judgements on February 8 [2024] and end the punishments meted out to you,” Nawaz said in a recorded message to the nation, aired live on television channels.

    Nawaz, who returned to Pakistan in October after a four-year self-exile in London, has consistently emphasised the need to hold accountable those involved in the removal of his government in 2017.

    The three-time former prime minister is hoping to come into power for the fourth time, as he has no corruption charges against him now.

    The lifetime ban on Nawaz Sharif as a parliamentarian is the only hurdle for him to contest election on February 8 next year.

  • PPP leader Abdul Qadir Baloch proposes election delay in security challenged regions

    PPP leader Abdul Qadir Baloch proposes election delay in security challenged regions

    Former federal minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Abdul Qadir Baloch has recommended postponing the general elections in areas that are not safe or facing security challenges.

    The PPP leader said in an interview on Saturday that by-polls can be conducted in these areas later, stressing that it will not be good to postpone general elections due to just six or seven constituencies.

    “Attacks by TTP in Balochistan are way higher than those by Baloch separatists,” the PPP leader said, adding that the terrorist organisation often targets Kalat, Mastung, and neighbouring areas.

    He also said that security threats are real because Baloch separatists don’t believe in the politics of parliament, calling the elements a hurdle for politicians to run their election campaigns.

    Abdul Qadir Baloch then said that interior minister Sarfraz Bugti should not have publicly talked to the media about threats to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, adding that it’s the caretaker government’s responsibility to give security to all politicians.

  • IPP will provide a list of constituencies to PML-N for seat adjustments today

    IPP will provide a list of constituencies to PML-N for seat adjustments today

    The Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) has made a list of constituencies of national and provincial assembly seats where it wants seat settlement with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), as per a report in The News.

    A source revealed to The News that the IPP committee, in which Ishaq Khakwani, Awn Chaudhry, and Nauman Langrial are included, has made a list of candidates which will be provided to PML-N on Monday.

    As the country gears up for general elections, political parties are making alliances with multiple political stakeholders to win the forthcoming polls on February 8 next year.

    PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif met with the IPP’s patron chief, Jahangir Tareen in Lahore a few weeks ago, to discuss the issue of seat adjustment in the upcoming general elections, which are going to be held on February 8, 2024.

    According to multiple media reports, the IPP wants seat adjustments with PML-N on 20 National Assembly (NA) seats and 44 Provincial Assembly (Punjab) seats.

    However, sources in the IPP claimed that the figures reported by different TV channels were exaggerated and that the party will ask for seat adjustments in about eight to 10 NA constituencies and 15 to 20 PA constituencies.

  • ECP likely to announce election schedule on December 14

    ECP likely to announce election schedule on December 14

    As a result of the rise in political temperature in country, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is going to announce the schedule for upcoming general election on December 14, as per a report in The News.

    Political parties are making political alliances with multiple stakeholders to win the polls on February 8.

    ECP recently released the final list of delimitations, which was the only obstacle to the announcement of  election. Now the final step is the appointment of district returning officers, returning officers and assistant officers according to the Elections Act 2017.

    According to Sections 50 and 51 of the Elections Act, a district returning officer is appointed for each district or a specified area and a returning officer for each constituency for elections to an assembly.

    The provincial election commissioner and election commission secretariat have designed lists of government officers for election duty. Their appointment will follow the election-related training.

    Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja also confirmed that ECP is ready to provide voters with complete security, privacy, and transparency in the entire election process.

  • PPP gears up for seat adjustment and alliances

    PPP gears up for seat adjustment and alliances

    As general elections in Pakistan draw near, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has set its dialogue committee into action, assigning them crucial tasks related to discussions with other political parties and politicians.

    The committee has been mandated to schedule meetings with national and provincial figures to explore possibilities of seat adjustments in the upcoming polls slated for February 8 next year.

    Chaired by PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, the committee convened on Monday, with PPP President Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Muhammad Bacha and PPP Information Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi in attendance.

    Qamar Zaman Kaira and Sajid Turi participated through video link.

    During the inaugural meeting focused on Punjab and KP, the committee delved into the overall political situation in the country and the upcoming elections.

    Bukhari, in the meeting, delegated responsibilities to committee members, tasking them with arranging meetings with key national and provincial political figures.

    The committee collectively resolved to organise separate negotiation committee meetings for each of the four provinces, aiming to forge alliances and discuss potential collaborations.

    The formation of the committee was approved by Asif Ali Zardari last week on November 25, with a well-planned strategy to engage in discussions with various political entities.

    According to a notification released on Saturday, a five-member committee formed for Punjab and K-P includes Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Faisal Karim Kundi, Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha and Sajid Toori.

    A two-member committee for Sindh includes Saeed Ghani and Syed Nasir Hussain Shah while a three-member committee for Baluchistan includes Changez Khan Jamali, Rozi Khan Kakar and Sabir Ali Baloch.

    This move comes in response to the efforts of the Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to form alliances with political parties, particularly in Sindh, considered a PPP stronghold. PML-N members recently initiated talks on alliances and seat adjustments with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) to counter the PPP’s influence in Sindh.

    Facing challenges in its historical stronghold, particularly with the formation of an anti-PPP coalition, the PPP aims to solidify its political position by actively seeking alliances and seat-to-seat adjustments ahead of the upcoming general elections.

  • Islamophobic Dutch leader Geert Wilders seeks to form government after election victory

    Islamophobic Dutch leader Geert Wilders seeks to form government after election victory

    Far-right populist leader Geert Wilders is all set to form a coalition government after a dramatic election victory.
    Geert is openly anti-Islam and anti-EU, with aims to take the country out of the Union and banning the Quran. He also wants restrictions on asylum and immigration.

    Against all predictions, Wilders’ party PVV won 37 out of 150 seats on Wednesday, well ahead of 25 for a joint Labour/Green ticket and 24 for the conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

    Talks for the formation of a coalition will follow in the coming months. “I would be very happy to become the Dutch prime minister, of course,” Wilders told party members who welcomed him with champagne and cake, adding that he was willing to negotiate.

    It is predicted that he will have to compromise on his motives because the other parties may not agree to the anti-islam and anti-EU demands.
    Wilders’ victory has caused shockwaves all across Europe, sending a message to all populist leaders across the continent that “a new Europe is possible”.

  • ‘Officers from diverse departments’ may serve as DROs, ROs: ECP

    ‘Officers from diverse departments’ may serve as DROs, ROs: ECP

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is considering the appointment of “officers from diverse departments,” including judiciary, federal, and provincial governments, and officers from ECP as district returning officers (DROs) and returning officers (ROs) in the upcoming election on February 8, The News has reported on Thursday.

    According to the report, it is highly likely that ECP will use a mix of officers, but no official decision has been taken in this matter.

    “The Election Commission is left with no option but to engage officers from diverse departments. Already, the provincial election commissioners are in the process of finalising lists of officers for the poll job, besides Central Secretariat,” a senior official of the ECP told The News.

    The source from ECP also said that judiciary had rejected the request to appoint officers for election duty because of multiple reasons, including several pending cases. However, one of the smaller provincial high courts expressed a willingness to provide officers for election duty.

    To a question, he said around 1,000 DROs and ROs would be involved in the nationwide election duty.

    In 2009, the National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) decided not to appoint judicial officers for election duty, as this had dragged the “judiciary into political controversies”.

  • Dr. Tahir ul Qadri is ‘back’

    Dr. Tahir ul Qadri is ‘back’

    After being inactive for seven years, Dr Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) has re-entered the political scene, announcing that it will actively participate in the upcoming February 2024 general elections.

    “We shall take full part in the upcoming elections from our own platform and on our electoral symbol,” PAT’s central president Qazi Zahid Hussain told a press conference on Friday.

    Qazi Zahid Hussain, accompanied by party officials including information secretary Nurella Siddiqui, and Raja Zahid, said that PAT candidates will champion the cause of comprehensive reforms in the system, initiating mass-contact campaigns and electioneering immediately.

    Notably, PAT abstained from the 2013 polls but actively participated in the 2015-16 local body elections.

    Hussain clarified that Dr Qadri had endorsed the decision following a two-day consultation by the PAT central executive council. Responding to queries, Siddiqui confirmed that Dr Qadri would not partake in the electioneering process for PAT nominees.

    Highlighting the party’s stance on candidate commitments, Siddiqui stated that once a candidate submits nominations from the PAT platform, withdrawing in favor of another party’s nominee would result in expulsion from the party.

    Additionally, Siddiqui ruled out the possibility of electoral alliances, noting that decisions regarding post-poll cooperation would be made at a later stage.

    Despite being former partners in protest, a party insider revealed to Dawn that any political cooperation with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was unlikely.

    The insider cited the PTI’s alleged failure to deliver justice to PAT in the 2014 Model Town tragedy, where 14 party activists lost their lives in a police raid, during the PTI’s approximately four-year rule.

  • India adopts Pakistan’s policies to achieve success, says Nawaz Sharif

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif said to the  Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Thursday that India achieved success by adopting Pakistan’s policies.

    In his address, Nawaz Sharif said that PML-N was aware of the economic challenges faced by the country. He also promised the business community that PML-N would surely take their advice, as it has done before.

    “The business community of Pakistan implemented our policies, and India adopted our policies and achieved economic success,” said Nawaz, who is leading his party’s campaign after returning to the country.

    This was his first interaction with traders since his return after a four-year-long self-imposed exile. The former prime minister mentioned that during his tenure in 2013–2017, Pakistan’s had the 24th-best economy in the world. He also said that at that time, the dollar was at 104.

    “If our development [model] and policies were continued, then the dollar would have been at 40 or 50,” claimed the three-time prime minister.

    Nawaz Sharif also said that Islamic countries began to see us as their protectors when we conducted a nuclear test in 1998.

  • Nawaz Sharif attracts over 30 electables to PML-N camp

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif has successfully garnered the support of more than 30 influential electables from Balochistan, Geo News reports.

    The seasoned politician, who recently returned to Pakistan after a four-year self-imposed exile, orchestrated the feat during his visit to Quetta.

    Accompanied by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz, Nawaz engaged in discussions with leaders from various political factions during his visit to Balochistan.

    Following these deliberations, over 30 individuals from diverse backgrounds, including Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Balochistan National Party–Mengal (BNP-M), National Party (NP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) joined the ranks of PML-N.

    From BAP, former Balochistan chief minister Jam Kamal Khan, Mir Saleem Khosa, Noor Mohammad, Baba Buledi, Sardar Masood Luni, Rubaba Buledi, Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran, Shoaib Nosherwani, Ramin Jan Muhammad Hassni and Muhammad Khan Lehrijoined the PML-N ranks.

    PPP leaders Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail, Sardar Fateh Muhammad, and Faiq Jamali jumped ship to join the PML-N.
    From the National Party, Mujib Mohammad Hassni and former senator Dr Ashok Kumar, while Zeenat Shahwani of BNP-M and PTI’s Muhammad Jamali and Sardar Atif Sanjrani also joined the PML-N.

    The PML-N delegation, which held discussions with a BAP delegation led by Nawabzada Khalid Magsi, also marked a noteworthy reconciliation between the historically contentious parties. BAP, founded in 2018, has roots in political dissidents from both PML-N and the PML-Q.

    To strengthen its position in the province, PML-N is reportedly exploring electoral alliances, including with the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F).

    Talks suggest that, if successful, the parties may jointly contest the general elections, with a shared decision on the chief minister’s candidacy.

    Sources said that the JUI-F has also put forward the name of Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri conditioning their support if he is made the province’s chief executive.

    The development comes as earlier this month the PML-N and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) announced their electoral alliance to jointly contest the upcoming general elections in Sindh.

    In response to these developments, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari offered a suggestion to Nawaz Sharif, urging him to “focus on Lahore,” on Tuesday.

    “Mian sahab has been adviced to visit other provinces. I would suggest that he should stay in Lahore and focus on its problems,” said the PPP chairman during a presser in Mithi, calling on PML-N to do politics on its own and stop relying on others.