According to a former Secretary of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) , Kanwar Dilshad, general elections are not possible before May 2024, stressing that polling will only be possible after nine months.
He explained his point further while talking to The News that the process of delimitation of constituencies will take almost four months.
The former ECP secretary said that four months for delimitation, three months for finalising the voter list, and two months for the election schedule will make the upcoming election possible. So, according to the former ECP, more than nine months are required to make the general election possible.
He also said that the ECP should not ignore the factor of revision of electoral rolls, as it is very necessary according to the Election Act 2017.
On the other hand, according to the sources of Geo News, ECP has decided to consult all the major political parties about the final date of the upcoming general election. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will also be consulted regarding this matter.
The ECP’s meeting with the political parties, the sources added, is expected to begin in the next few days.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Awami National Party (ANP), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) are the major political parties in the country.
Pakistan Thereek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former federal planning minister Asad Umar has dismissed claims of his arrest by the FIA in the Cipher case. Meanwhile, he was able to secure pre-arrest bail.
While exclusively talking to Geo News reporter Arfa Feroz, Umar said that the reports regarding his arrest are false, as he has appeared before FIA twice to record his statement and answer their questions during the investigation. He was confident that his name will be cleared.
Umar asserted that this is a politically motivated case with intentions to harass and blackmail him. He assured the court about his availability and readiness to depose before the inquiry agency and cooperate with investigators.
The Official Secrets Act Court has granted him bail until August 29 against a Rs100,000 surety.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Shafqut Ullah Khan has termed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s privacy concerns “genuine” regarding the presence of a CCTV camera around his toilet at Attock jail. Imran Khan had claimed that the camera breached his privacy, with the judge asserting in a report after an inspection of the prison facilities that the camera violated prison rules.
Punjab Prisons Department, in response to Additional District and Sessions Judge Shafqut Ullah Khan’s report, stated that Khan is being provided with all the facilities in accordance with Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978.
A new toilet with five feet high walls, a door, and toiletries have been constructed in his cell. The statement said Khan was also given a bed, pillow, mattress, table, chair, air cooler, exhaust fan, fruit, honey, dates, prayer mat, Holy Quran with English translation, several books for reading, a thermos with tea, newspapers and tissue papers.
The statement further reads that five doctors have been appointed to provide medical facilities to Khan, “One doctor is present at all times on an eight-hour duty.” Special meals are given to Khan as per the doctor’s advice and with the approval of Punjab Inspector General of Prisons Mian Farooq Nazir. It further said the meals are served by a special team after a doctor’s inspection.
The prisons department confirmed that Imran was allowed to meet his family on Tuesdays and lawyers on Thursdays.
“CCTV cameras have been installed outside Imran Khan’s room for his and the jail’s security. More than 4,000 CCTV cameras have been installed not only in District Jail Attock but also in other jails of Punjab for security purposes,” the statement concluded.
Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, while speaking on the Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, reassured the viewers that Imran Khan was allowed to meet visitors and provided facilities according to the prison class he had applied for. He said that the concerns raised in the inspection report, including those related to the CCTV camera, would be thoroughly investigated and addressed in accordance with the law.
“We will ensure that all those facilities and class he (Imran) applied for and deserves as the ex-prime minister according to the law are provided to him. As far as I know, he has a bed and newspaper so the behavior with him will be according to whatever the law permits,” he said.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Shafqut Ullah Khan visited Attock jail and compiled a report on 15 August, after his fortnightly inspection of the prison facilities, which was released on August 21. The report stated that Khan’s concern regarding the presence of CCTV cameras is genuine and is in violation of the prison rules 257 and 771.
Rule 257 (Sanitary and bathing arrangements) of the Pakistan Prison Rules states: “Prisoners shall be granted adequate facilities for bathing and latrines, ensuring privacy.”
Meanwhile, Rule 771 refers to “latrines,” specifying that “latrine floors should be elevated and frequently renewed. Each latrine must have a proper seat and partitions for the sake of privacy.”
The judge further noted in his report that the superintendent of police present has provided assurance to address the grievance raised by the PTI chairman.
The PTI’s official X (former Twitter) account tweeted in response to the report “Absolutely shameful how a national hero, former Prime Minister Imran Khan is being denied his fundamental human rights, and basic facilities he’s entitled to.”
Absolutely shameful how a national hero, former Prime Minister Imran Khan is being denied his fundamental human rights, and basic facilities he’s entitled to.
Hours after the President said that he does not need Waqar Ahmed’s services, the Secretary has said in a statement on Monday that Dr. Arif Alvi did not sign the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023, or the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2023, nor did he make a written decision to send them back to parliament for further consideration.
On Monday, the official X (formerly Twitter) account of @PresOfPakistan stated: “In view of the definite statement of yesterday, President’s Secretariat has written a letter to Principal Secretary to Prime Minister that the services of Mr. Waqar Ahmed, Secretary to President, are no more required and are surrendered to the Establishment Division, immediately”.
President Arif Alvi caused a sensation on Sunday when he said in a tweet from his personal account that he did not sign the official secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023, or the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2023, as he does not agree with the laws. He said that despite his orders to return the bills to parliament, his staff disobeyed him. “I confirmed from them many times that whether they have been returned & was assured that they were,” Alvi wrote about the bills in a tweet, adding that he just found out that his staff “undermined my will and command”. He also asked for forgiveness from those who are affected by the bills.
The tweets came about after news broke that he had signed the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Army Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023. Now both bills are part of the law. On the other hand, former Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani has said that “the tweet of President Arif Alvi was inappropriate”. Raza Rabbani pointed out that if an inquiry is initiated, the president will have to appear before a committee of the upper house since he is a part of the parliament under Article 50 of the Constitution. “As per Article 75 of the Constitution, when a bill is sent for assent, the president has two options: either give assent, or refer the matter to the parliament with specific observations. Article 75 does not provide for any third option,” he stressed. The ministry has said neither of the requirements was fulfilled. Instead, the president purposely delayed the assent, it added. Returning the bills without any observations or assent is not provided for in the Constitution, the spokesperson said, adding that such a course of action is against the letter and spirit of the Constitution. “If the president had any observations, he could have returned the bills with his observations like he did in the recent and distant past. He could have also issued a press release to that effect,” the law ministry said.
Former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reached London on Sunday to meet Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif. According to Geo News, the agenda of the meeting between the two brothers included the upcoming general elections and Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan.
Shehbaz Sharif’s son Salman Shehbaz is accompanying him.
According to PML-N sources, Shehbaz Sharif will meet his brother as well as other party leaders in London. Several former federal ministers are also present in the British capital to join the crucial meeting about Nawaz Sharif’s return to the country. Earlier, Shehbaz Sharif has said that his elder brother will return to Pakistan next month and face the law.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has sent a letter to Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, staring that deputy commissioners are issuing NOCs for new housing societies in Punjab.
According to the letter, the ECP reminded the interim CM that issuing of NOCs and announcing policies is not the domain of the caretaker government. An elected government can work on policy-making, but not a caretaker setup.
The ECP said they are hopeful that caretaker government will work within constitutional and legal limits. According to ECP, the caretaker setup can prepare a case in case of an emergency and get it approved by the commission.
The constitutional terms of the caretaker governments of Punjab and Khyber Palhtunkhwa were set to end in mid-April but the federal government did not issue funds needed by the ECP to hold elections in the two provinces despite a Supreme Court order. Some legal experts and opposition parties have raised questions about the legitimacy of the two caretaker governments, describing them as illegal.
Pakistan Bar Council has held a meeting and strongly condemned the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to delay elections beyond the constitutional limit of 90 days, citing delimitation.
According to sources, the members discussed the situation regarding the delay in elections and decided to launch a “lawyers’ movement in case elections are not held within 90 days.”
Pakistan Bar Council apex regularity body of lawyers has strongly condemned ECP’s decision to delay elections beyond constitutional limit of 90 days due to delimitation. pic.twitter.com/OmCBSr5V6X
They reiterated that Article 224 of the constitution of Pakistan binds ECP to conduct the general election within 90 days after the dissolution of assemblies.
The Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Executive Committee said, “It is the duty of the commission to conduct free, fair and transparent elections within stipulated period as mandated by the constitution.”
Earlier this week, The Supreme Court Bar Association challenged the decision to hold the upcoming general elections based on the fresh census, seeking suspension of the decision.
It further demanded that the Supreme Court order the ECP to hold general elections immediately in the country. The SCBA says elections on the new census is an attempt to unconstitutionally delay the exercise. In the petition, the federation, the Council of Common Interests, the four provinces and the Election Commission of Pakistan have been made parties. The formation of the Council of Common Interests was not constitutional, the petition maintains.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar’s 24-member cabinet comprising of politicians, TV artists and anchors, retired bureaucrats, and servicemen has been sworn in by the President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, on Thursday.
Of the 24 members cabinet, 16 are federal ministers, three are advisers to the prime minister, and five are Special Assistants to the Prime Minister (SAPMs). Most of them are new faces, not seen before in a government set-up.
Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, the 14th former governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, who has also served in Asian Development Bank (ADB) as its Director General of the Southeast Asia Department, has been given the portfolios of Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs and Privatization.
The portfolios of Defense and Defence Production have been given to Anwar Ali Hyder, a retired lieutenant general, who formerly served as chairman Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority and has an association with Army Welfare Trust.
Jalil Abbas Jilani, a former foreign secretary, who has served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Belgium, Luxemburg and the E.U, and Australia, has been appointed the foreign minister.
Former Balochistan minister for Home, Tribal Affairs, Prisons and PDMA, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, has been given three portfolios — federal minister for Interior, Overseas Pakistanis and Narcotics Control.
The information ministry has gone to senior journalist Murtaza Solangi, who has served as director general of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation and has been in journalism for over 30 years.
The ministries of Law and Justice, Climate Change and Water Resources were given to Ahmed Irfan Aslam, a senior lawyer who has served as a member of the Supreme Court’s International Arbitration Cell . His significant contribution is facilitating Pakistan’s successful resolution of the Karkey and Reko Diq cases through out-of-court settlements.
The ministries of Power and Petroleum have been given to Muhammad Ali, a former SECP chairman, who has also served as a Director on the Boards of reputable companies like Engro Corporation Limited, Karachi Stock Exchange (Guarantee) Limited, Dawood Bank Limited, etc.
The portfolios of Commerce, and Industries and Production have been given to industrialist Dr. Gohar Ejaz, chairman of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, a recipient of Sitara e Imtiaz, who has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate in management from the Uniersity of Punjab, Lahore.
Dr Umar Saif, a former Chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), has been given two portfolios of Information Technology and Telecom, and Science and Technology. Dr. Saif served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Pakistan between 2013-14. He has served on the Boards of several government and semi-government organizations, including Aitchison College, Bank of the Punjab, Technical Education & Vocational Training Company (TEVTA), Engineering Consultancy Services of the Punjab, Urban Sector Planning and Management Services Unit, Lahore Parking Company, Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company and Punjab Educational Endowment Fund.
The portfolio of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives has been given to Muhammad Sami Saeed, a former federal secretary and former director of Asian Development Bank representing Kazakhstan, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines and Timor-Leste. He joined the Civil Service of Pakistan in 1980 and has extensive experience in public finance and development.
Prominent TV artist and former Director General, Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), Jamal Shah has been picked up as federal minister for National Heritage and Culture. Jamal is also the founder of Artists Association in Pakistan and Hunerkada College of Visual and Performing Arts.
Madad Ali Sindhi — a famous Pakistani writer, columnist and journalist, who has written numerous Sindhi books — has been given the portfolio of federal Education and Professional Training.
The portfolio of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination has been given to prominent health expert Dr. Nadeem Jan, a professional for 24 years who has worked with UN, USAID, World Bank, EU, DFID, INGOs and national Governments.
Khalil George of the Balochistan Awami Party, former Parliamentary Secretary for Minority Affairs, has been awarded the Human Rights ministry.
Religious scholar, TV anchor, host on Dunya Tv, popular for his religious show Peyam-E-Subh, Aneeq Ahmed, graduated from Karachi University in International Relations and started his career from PTV in 1999, joined GEO in 2002 and then moved to ARY in 2005. He has been with DUNYA TV since June, 2011. Aneeq Ahmed has been appointed as the minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony.
Shahid Ashraf Tarar, a retired captain, has been given three portfolios — Communications, Maritime Affairs, and Railways. Shahid Ashraf is also the Chairman of Federal Public Service Commission. He formerly served as Executive Director World Bank Group where he led HR Committee as Chairman for two years. He also worked as Federal Secretary Communication, Chairman NHA, Secretary Excise & Taxation, Director General NAVTEC, Deputy Commissioner, Director to the President and Head of Economic Sector Los Angeles, USA.
Advisers
Retired air marshal, Farhat Hussain, a recipient of Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military), Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) , and Sitara-i-Basalat, has been made an adviser to the premier on aviation with the status of a federal minister. He is the Chairman of Scaled Aviation Pvt Ltd and President of Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies.
Ahad Khan Cheema, a confidant of former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, has been appointed as an adviser on establishment, also with the status of a federal minister. Cheema joined the District Management Group (now called Pakistan Administrative Service) in 2001 and had served under former chief ministers Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Ellahi and Shehbaz Sharif on various welfare and development projects. He was the first high-profile arrest in Punjab by the NAB before the 2018 general elections. A BPS-19 PAS officer, he became the head of the Lahore Development Authority, in 2013, during the last PML-N government and was conferred the award of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in recognition of his services for carrying out the Lahore Metro Bus Service Project.
Former federal secretary for Finance Division, an eminent economist with wide-ranging experience of both public and private sectors, Dr Waqar Masood will perform as a special adviser on finance, with the status of a state minister. He has held several prestigious positions in the Federal Government including Special Secretary to the Prime Minister, Secretary Finance Division, Secretary Economic Affairs Division, Secretary Petroleum & Natural Resources and Secretary Textile Industry.
Special Assistants
The caretaker PM also appointed five special assistants, with the portfolio of adviser on human rights and women empowerment going to Mishal Hussain Malik, wife of the Kashmiri freedom movement leader Yasin Malik. She is the chairperson of Peace and Culture Organisation which highlights the plight of people of Kashmir in IIOK&K.
Jawad Sohrab Malilk, a qualified lawyer and businessman, has become an SAPM for overseas Pakistanis. He was formerly SAPM for Shehbaz Sharif. He has been successfully running a vast business empire stretched to Lon¬don, Pakistan and Dubai and has good contacts inter¬nationally including with the Ameri¬can members of Congress, British parliamentarians, global business elite, Gulf royal families and political parties in Pakistan across the board.
Retired vice Admiral Iftikhar Rao has been made the adviser on maritime affairs, He has more than 40 Years of Maritime Experience. He has served on board and commanded ships and is also a Naval Aviator.
TV anchor and writer Wasih Shah has been made advisor on tourism. He is famous for his poetry and contribution to literature and has been hosting TV shows for a while now.
Syeda Arfa Zehra has been made advisor on federal education and professional training. She is a Pakistani educationist and urdu language expert. Zehra is also a former caretaker provincial minister of Punjab. She is recognized for her knowledge on the Urdu language and literature and is specialized in intellectual history and South Asian social issues; outside of the university sphere, she speaks at language conferences and televised forums.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been booked under Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act 1923 by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Geo News has reported.
Alleging that as Prime Minister, Khan deliberately got involved in using the classified document fraudulently, the FIA registered the case against Imran Khan. Last year in April, Khan was removed from office through a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly (NA).
Government sources told Geo News on Thursday that Imran Khan has been booked under Section 5. However, authorities were not sharing a copy of the FIR.
The punishment in this case is imprisonment for two to 14 years, or even a death sentence in some cases.
According to Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act 1923: “(1) If any person having in his possession or control any secret official code or password or any sketch, plan, model, article, note, document or information which relates to or is used in a prohibited place or relates to anything in such a place, or which has been made or obtained in contravention of this Act, or which has been entrusted in confidence to him by any person holding office under [Government], or which he has obtained or to which he has had access owing to his position as a person who holds or has held office under [Government], or as a person who holds or has held a contract made on behalf of [Government], or as a person who is or has been employed under a person who holds or has held such an office or contract —
a) wilfully communicates the code or password, sketch, plan, model, article, note, document or information to any person other than a person to whom he is authorised to communicate it, or a Court of Justice or a person to whom it is, in the interests of the State, his duty to communicate it; or b) uses the information in his possession for the benefit of any foreign power or in any other manner prejudicial to the safety of the State; or c) retains the sketch, plan, model, article, note or document in his possession or control when he has no right to retain it, or when it is contrary to his duty to retain it, or wilfully fails to comply with all directions issued by lawful authority with regard to the return or disposal thereof; d) fails to take reasonable care of, or so conducts himself as to endanger the safety of, the sketch, plan, model, article, note, document, secret official code or password or information;
He shall be guilty of an offence under this section.
(2) If any person voluntarily receives any secret official code or password or any sketch, plan, model, article, note, document or information knowing or having reasonable ground to believe, at the time when he receives it, that the code, password, sketch, plan, model, article, note, document or information is communicated in contravention of this Act, he shall be guilty of an offence under this section.
(3) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be punishable, (a) where the offence committed is a contravention of clause (a) of sub-section (1) and intended or calculated to be, directly or indirectly, in the interest or for the benefit of a foreign power, or is in relation to any work of defence, arsenal, naval, military or air force establishment or station, mine, mine-field, factory, dockyard, camp, ship or aircraft or otherwise in relation to the naval, military or air force affairs of Pakistan or in relation to any secret official code, [with death, or] with imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen years; and (b) in any other case, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.”
The cipher case against the former premier took a turn after his former principal secretary Azam Khan stated before a magistrate as well as the FIA that the former PM had used the US cipher for ‘political gains’ and to avert a vote of no-confidence against him.
Azam Khan also stated that he told Imran Khan not to proceed with using the cipher. However, in response, Imran Khan said that the classified document can be used to divert the public’s attention towards “foreign involvement” in the opposition’s no-confidence motion.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced the schedule of delimitation of constituencies as required by Article 51 of the constitution of Pakistan and section 17(2) of the Elections Act 2017, in accordance with the official results of the 7th Population and Housing Census-2023. The schedule makes it almost impossible to conduct elections in the next 90 days, as per constitutional requirements.
According to the given schedule, the final publication of the delimitation will be on December 14th, 2023.
As per the schedule, boundaries of administrative units across the country will stand frozen from today (August 17) and delimitation committees for all the provinces and the federal capital will be formed by Aug 21.
In another notification, the ECP has directed its provincial chief secretaries, chief commissioner, the federal government, and the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics to provide assistance in the process.
