Tag: Raja Riaz

  • 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

  • Rana, Raja say general elections will be held next year in February

    Rana, Raja say general elections will be held next year in February

    Former interior minister Rana Sanaullah and ex-opposition leader Raja Riaz have said that it is probable that general elections will be held next year in February, Geo News has reported.

    Rana Sanaullah, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has said that PML-N supremo and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan very soon and will lead his party’s electoral campaign.

    While speaking in Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’, Rana Sanaullah stated that the establishment also wanted general elections to be held in 90 days, however, due to the delimitation of constituencies, the polls will be held in February next year.

    On the other hand, Raja Riaz has also said that general elections will be held at the start or middle of February next year.

    He also mentioned that there are chances that elections could be delayed due to the present economic situation in the country.

    “It is time to save the country, not politics,” he added.

    Without explaining much, he said that “elders” had decided to conduct elections next year.

    On the other hand, the president of the PML-N, Shehbaz Sharif, has high hopes from caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, expecting him to conduct transparent, free, and impartial elections.

  • Who is Anwaar-Ul-Haq Kakar?

    Who is Anwaar-Ul-Haq Kakar?

    Taking whole of the country by surprise, Senator Anwaar ul Haq Kakar has been declared the next Interim Prime Minister of Pakistan, assuming the highly sought-after position in a stunning turn of events. Raja Riaz, the opposition leader, made the declaration on Saturday after holding talks with the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif.

    Dr. Arif Alvi, President of Pakistan, also signed the summary of the appointment, making the appointment official.

    The recently chosen interim premier was born in Balochistan’s Muslim Bagh neighborhood of Killa Saifullah district in 1971.

    After finishing elementary school at St. Francis School in Quetta, he attended Cadet College in Kohat, but after the death of his father, he moved back to the provincial capital of Balochistan.

    The Senator graduated from the University of Balochistan with a Master’s degree in political science and sociology.

    In order to begin his profession, Senator Kakar worked as a teacher in his hometown.
    He was appointed in 2018 to serve as the primary spokesperson for the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and is also one of its founding members.
    The interim prime minister is also a chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis.
    In 2008, he contested elections for a seat in the National Assembly from Quetta on a Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) ticket.

    Geo News’ Hamid Mir has said about him, “Though he has been involved in politics, Kakar is widely regarded as a great intellectual in the country.”

    A clip of the caretaker PM immediately went viral in which he had said in a press conference held after May 9, “A section of the public made Imran Khan. A section of Pakistan’s judiciary made Imran. A section of Pakistan’s establishment also contributed. I am not condemning anyone, I am condemning only Imran. The people did not make Imran what he is to attack state institutions.”
    He also said, “May 9 is the darkest day in the history of Pakistan’s politics”.

  • Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is the caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan

    The suspense is over. Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, who belongs to Balochistan Awami Party, has been made caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan.

    Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, elected to the Pakistani Senate from Balochistan in March 2018, previously worked as the advisor to Chief Minister of Balochistan’s information department from January to March 2018 and as the government of Balochistan’s spokesperson from December 2015 to January 2018.
    He has often spoken about on academic and policy-making platforms as an avid book reader and ardent thinker with an understanding of the problems faced by Pakistan’s restive Baloch province.

    Senator Kakar holds a hopeful vision for a powerful Balochistan, committed to the Pakistani nation.

    He graduated from the National Defence University in Islamabad with a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology. English, Urdu, Persian, Pushto, Balochi, and Brahvi are all spoken by him with ease.

  • Kaun banega caretaker PM? Consultations between Shehbaz and Raja Riaz to begin today

    Kaun banega caretaker PM? Consultations between Shehbaz and Raja Riaz to begin today

    Consultations between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz will start today as the country waits for an announcement on who will be the caretaker Prime Minister.

    A meeting between Raja Riaz and Shehbaz Sharif was postponed yesterday due to the dissolution of the National Assembly late last night.

    “The president dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of the prime minister under Article 58-1 of the Constitution,” read an official statement issued by the President’s Office on X, formerly known as Twitter, late Wednesday.

    Shehbaz Sharif has invited Raja Riaz to the meeting by sending a letter, writing that President Arif Alvi has dissolved the National Assembly and that it’s his constitutional responsibility to appoint the caretaker Prime Minister.

    The PM and Raja Riaz will mutually decide on one of the names proposed for the caretaker Premier.

    Earlier on Wednesday, the opposition leader denied rumours that a scheduled meeting had been postponed for nefarious reasons and expressed eagerness for the upcoming conversation with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

  • We have no Prime Minister if the government refuses to nominate a name as another meeting is delayed

    We have no Prime Minister if the government refuses to nominate a name as another meeting is delayed

    In a crucial turn of events, the highly anticipated meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Raja Riaz, scheduled for today, to decide on a name for the caretaker prime minister, has been postponed.

    The meeting has been rescheduled for tomorrow.

    The opposition leader has denied rumours that the meeting had been postponed for nefarious reasons and expressed eagerness for the upcoming conversation with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

    “The information circulating regarding the postponement of today’s meeting is not accurate,” declared Raja Riaz during a conversation with SAMAA TV.

    “The discussions between the Prime Minister and me are expected to take place today,” said Raja Riaz, highlighting the ongoing nature of the dialogue.

  • ‘Elections either in three months or two years’; Raja Riaz sets alarm bells ringing

    ‘Elections either in three months or two years’; Raja Riaz sets alarm bells ringing

    Opposition leader in the National Assembly, Raja Riaz, has set alarm bells ringing with his prediction that if elections are not held within three months, they will be delayed for two years.

    “I can see two scenarios. I have told you about them both,” he told Dawn News in an interview. When prompted if he had been told this by someone, Riaz clarified that it was what he can foresee based on his political experience.

    “There are two positions. One, if you look at democracy and constitution, general elections should take place within 90 days,” he said. However, he added that considering the severe economic challenges the country is facing, “a decision in the nation’s interest should be taken.”

    He also expressed the opinion that a caretaker setup should be given at least one year to fix the economic problems.

    Raja Riaz is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday to give names for his nominees of caretaker Prime Minister.

  • Raja Riaz rejects Dar for caretaker PM, sees no need for immediate elections

    Raja Riaz rejects Dar for caretaker PM, sees no need for immediate elections

    The leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Raja Riaz, said on Tuesday that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is not a suitable candidate for the position of caretaker PM. He has also said that there is no need for an immediate election in the country.

    The tenure of the National Assembly is going to expire on August 12. Members of the government are holding consultations over the matter of the interim government.

    Speaking on the matter of the caretaker setup, Raja Riaz said that the idea of appointing Ishaq Dar as caretaker PM is not good. “Elections will not be held for two years if Ishaq Dar becomes the interim prime minister,” he said.

    Asking the PML-N to reveal a name in media, Raja Riaz said that there is no need for him to consult on it. “As the opposition leader, I have to give my three names. I will meet the Prime Minister by August 1 on the caretaker government issue,” he added.

    The leader of the opposition has also dismissed the idea of an immediate election in the country. “The problems of the country and the people are more important. The solution to the challenges faced at this time is most important”.

    Raja Riaz was appointed as the leader of the opposition in May 2022 by the speaker of the National Assembly, Raja Pervez Ashraf.

  • Is Imran Khan coming back to National Assembly to take PM Shehbaz out?

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has hinted at the possibility that his party may return to the National Assembly (NA) to table a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

    The PTI fears that its dissenting member Raja Riaz who is holding the parliamentary party leader’s position in the NA may decide to vote in favour of PM Shehbaz if President Dr Arif Alvi asks Shehbaz Sharif to take the trust vote.

    Talking to the media at his Lahore residence, Khan said planning and consultations with party leaders and legal experts are going on to strategise how PTI’s turncoats can be stopped from siding with the ruling coalition of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

    “He [Shehbaz Sharif] will have sleepless nights in the days to come”, Khan reportedly said to journalists.

    He claimed that some Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNAs want to join the PTI.

    “Some PML-N members of the National Assembly are in contact with the PTI and they have expressed their interest in joining our camp. We will test them before giving them party membership,” Imran said, adding that he saw elections taking place in March or April.

    The former ruling party is considering “testing” PM Sharif’s strength in the house sensing that cracks are appearing in PDM’s ranks.

    PTI’s senior leader Fawad Chaud­hry has said that the party’s return to the National Assembly was linked with its plan to oust PM Sharif, reports Dawn.

    He said PTI was seeking legal opinion on how it could bind its MNAs to vote in line with the party policy in case of a no-trust move, and if that can be achieved without joining the assembly.