Live: Elections 2024

Internet tracking monitor NetBlocks has said that the recent disruption of social media platform X in the country, now past the 72-hour mark, is the “longest of several internet censorship measures tracked” through the election period.

PPP leader Faisal Karim Kundi has said the party will do constructive criticism rather than criticism for the sake of criticism during a possible coalition government with the PML-N.

Talking in an interview on Geo News programme Aaj Shahzab Khanzada Kay Sath, he said the party would support the PML-N on positive legislation and a vote of confidence on other issues.

PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui has emphasised that despite the split mandate given to parties by the public in the Feb 8 general elections, his party is committed to maintaining the stability of the system and ensuring it remains on track.

Speaking in the Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath, Siddiqui emphasised the PML-N’s role as the “biggest party” and its responsibility to uphold the stability of the system.

“If this assembly is dissolved for any reason, the prospect of re-election brings uncertainty, and we cannot predict what will happen next,” he remarked.

He refuted the idea that the PML-N is pursuing government formation at all costs, affirming instead, “Our priority is to safeguard this assembly at any expense.”

PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen has claimed that the public and the international media are aware of how “post-poll rigging” took place in Pakistan.

“If we are unable to take back the stolen seats, the public knows, who they voted for and even the national and international media knows how post-poll rigging took place,” he said.

Giving an example of his constituency, Shaheen said independent candidate Mustafa Khokhar, JI’s Kashif Chaudhry, TLP’s Hafiz Khawar and himself had corresponding Form 45s but the results were different.

Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan said the PTI chief has termed the February 8 elections “mother of all rigging”.

Aleema met her brother at Adiala Jail today. In a media talk afterwards, she said the public’s mandate was “stolen” in the aftermath of the elections. She stated that Imran strongly condemned the suspension of internet services, which he claimed was used to “hide the real results”.

According to Aleema, Imran also expressed concerns regarding the safety of the former Rawalpindi commissioner. “Now Khan sahib wants all this to end […] he demands the real mandate of the public should be handed over,” she added.

PTI leader Shoaib Shaheen has said that the party is in the process of taking back their “stolen seats from dacoits” in a legal manner.

Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, Shaheen said the emerging situation in the country felt like “we asking the dacoits to give us a small share from the theft that took place”.

“Those who should’ve gotten 18-20 seats have robbed our seats and want to come in power,” he maintained.

Independent candidate Bakht Muhammad Kakar, who clinched the PB-39 seat from Balochistan, has joined the PPP.

During a meeting with former president Asif Ali Zardari today, he pledged allegiance to the party.

All the candidates for reserved women and minority seats in both national and provincial assemblies have been told to submit their election expenses to the concerned returning officer by tomorrow, state-run Radio Pakistan reports.

In a press statement, the Election Commission of Pakistan reminded all the candidates of reserved seats whose names are included in Form 33 to submit their election expenses.

In case of non-compliance with the election code of conduct, the notification regarding the winner of the seats would not be issued, the electoral watchdog added.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly denounced the disruption of social media and internet services in Pakistan and urged for the immediate restoration of all those platforms, including X (formerly Twitter).

In a statement, PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Arshad Ansari highlighted the pivotal role of Internet and social media platforms as primary sources of global information. They underscored that the disruption of these platforms poses a significant threat to the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of expression and speech.

“We urgently call for the immediate restoration and uninterrupted provision of Internet services in the country,” they demanded.

They further emphasised that such disruptions not only deprive people of vital information during the current chaotic situation but also hinder economic activities.

PPP leader Qadir Mandokhail has been booked by the police over charges of rioting inside a polling station during the Feb 8 general elections.

The video of the incident went viral on social media, prompting the Election Commission of Pakistan to take notice.

SSP Keamari Arif Aslam Rao confirmed to Dawn.com that a case had been registered against Mandokhail and others at Madina Colony police station of the Keamari district.

According to the contents of the FIR, complainant Hafiz Kaleemullah said that he was a government primary school teacher who worked as a presiding officer for the NA-242 seat at M H School in Baldia during general elections.

The polling process had ended and he and his staff were trying to count the votes when at around 5:15pm, a charged crowd forcibly entered his room by unlocking the door of the polling station. They started throwing polling material and ballot papers apart from kicking the polling booth.

The complainant said that he along with his staff preserved the votes that were spread on the floor, adding that since the communication system was not working, he could not inform the returning officer on time.

Later on, through people and social media, he came to know that the charged people were being led by Mandokhail who was accompanied by 20-25 unidentified people.

PPP Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has said that the anti-rigging demonstrations by the GDA and JUI-F were merely efforts to “save face” following their defeat in the Feb 8 elections.

In a statement, Khuhro said the chiefs of both parties remained absent from rallies conducted by their respective parties.

“The sit-ins by the GDA and JUI-F are against the masses and should cease,” he emphasised.

Khuhro reiterated the PPP’s determination to secure a fourth term in government in Sindh, saying the country could not afford any further misadventures.

The services of social media platform X (formerly Twitter) have been restored following a sustained disruption since a day ago.

“User reports indicate no current problems at X (Twitter),” said the Downdetector website at 7pm.

Access was briefly restored a day ago before the service was disrupted again.

Successful independents from PP-180 and PP-128 have joined the PML-N, according to a party statement.

Ahsan Raza Khan and Colonel (retd) Ghazanfar Qureshi met PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz and promised to work for the party.

The PTI has expressed concerns over the “serious threats” to former first lady Bushra Bibi’s health during incarceration at Bani Gala, warning that any harm caused to Imran Khan’s wife would be the responsibility of the Adiala Jail authorities.

In a statement, the party said Bushra Bibi was suffering from “intense pain” after she was given “poisoned food”. It said she was not even allowed to meet her family or a doctor.

PTI leader Halim Adil Sheikh has made it clear that those who left the PTI in times of distress won’t be allowed to join the party again.

Speaking to the media, he said: “Those who want to come back to the party, they won’t be allowed to. The ones who are publishing videos, none of them will be allowed to.”

Sheikh highlighted that former federal minister Ali Zaidi, who parted ways with the party post May 9 riots, “backstabbed” ex-prime minister Imran Khan.

The PTI leader said party workers like Yasmin Rashid, Mehmoodur Rasheed, and Sanam Javed were “our heroes” and loyalists of the party.

“We will not betray PTI loyalists and workers,” he concluded.

Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza has rejected “propaganda” against his party and the PTI.

A day earlier, the parties announced that they were joining hands and PTI-backed independents had joined the SIC in the Centre and Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assemblies.

In a post on X today, Raza said the SIC had always stood firm with PTI chief Imran Khan and alleged that elements “fuelling sectarianism belonged to Rana Sanaullah’s team.

Former Punjab Assembly speaker Sibtain Khan has cautioned against “haphazardly” convening the provincial assembly session, citing concerns over the controversy surrounding the Feb 8 election results.

Speaking to Geo News, Khan emphasised the inappropriateness of making the Punjab chief minister’s election contentious post-polls.

“I will not endorse the proposed Feb 22 session of the Punjab Assembly until deserving candidates secure their reserved seats,” he insisted.

Khan maintained that the session should not proceed until the Sunni Ittehad Council is allotted its reserved seats.

Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi has said there was no deadlock between political parties regarding talks on the formation of a new government, state-run Radio Pakistan reports.

Talking to the media in Islamabad, he said no party could secure a simple majority. As per the Constitution, the last date to summon a session of the National Assembly is Feb 29, the minister highlighted.

“We still have some days to convene the sitting of the newly elected Lower House,” Solangi said, adding that the Constitution was very comprehensive and offered solutions if political parties failed to forge a consensus.

The Balochistan Bar Council has demanded a probe against intelligence agencies, returning officers (RO), DROs, and anyone found to be involved in alleged rigging in the February 9 general elections

In a statement, it expressed concern over the rigging allegations that have marred the electoral process throughout the country including Balochistan

It added that the bar council members were aware of the protests being staged across Pakistan.

The statement further expressed concern over how “results were manipulated” and national leaders in Balochistan were kept out of the parliament deliberately while “favourites” were awarded seats through the corruption of billions of rupees.

PTI’s Barrister Gohar Khan has warned that the International Monetary Fund programme would be “damaged” if the poll results were not in accordance with Form 45s.

At a media talk, he said Pakistan could not afford further political turmoil and demanded that the same could only be prevented by the announcement of “free poll results”.

PTI’s Barrister Gohar Khan has called former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaqat Ali Chattha a “whistleblower” who unveiled details about “poll rigging”.

“We demand that his life and his children’s security must be ensured so that he can take part in any inquiry,” he said.

Last week, Chattha had accused the Election Commission of Pakistan and Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa of involvement in the “rigging” — a claim denied by the electoral watchdog and the top judge.

The PTI has demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja immediately resign, saying that the CEC failed to hold elections in a free, fair and transparent manner.

“After meeting Khan sahib today, the PTI demands that the CEC resign, he has no right to stay in the position for a single day,” Barrister Gohar Khan said at a media talk outside Adiala Jail.

He demanded that all the inquiries into poll discrepancies should be impartial and without any interference. “We want the election results to be in accordance with the mandate of the public,” Gohar added.

PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan says the Election Commission of Pakistan failed to fulfil its responsibility in “every step of the way”.

At a press conference in Islamabad, he said Form 45s were the ECP’s responsibility and the returning officers were bound to announce results according to these documents.

“But under the incumbent chief election commissioner this cannot happen.”

Two independents, who clinched victory from PB-41 (Quetta) and PB-51 (Chaman), have joined the PML-N.

According to a statement issued by the party, Wali Muhammad and Abdul Khaliq met PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and pledged their allegiance to the party.

During the meeting, Shehbaz congratulated the newly inducted members and said they had played their part in making the country stable.

Human rights activist and former senator Farhatullah Babar has sought a “deeper investigation” into the internet shutdown and demanded that the Election Commission of Pakistan explain the reasons for the same.

The Awami National Party is holding a protest against alleged poll rigging in Swabi.

In a post on X, the party said a large number of workers were participating in the protest demonstration. ANP leader Aimal Wali Khan, Sardar Hussain Babak and other leaders will address the demonstration, it added.

The Grand Democratic Alliance will stage a protest in Sindh’s Moro against alleged rigging in the Feb 8 polls. According to GDA information secretary Sardar Abdul Rahim, the protest will continue the people’s mandate is restored.

“Today’s sit-in will be of historical importance,” Rahim said. “Those plotting against the sit-in will fail.”

The sit-in will be addressed by leaders of the GDA, PTI, JUI and other parties, and future protests will also be announced today, he said. “GDA’s Jamshoro sit-in has woken up opponents from their sleep,” Rahim said.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is hearing petitions filed by the candidates of 40 constituencies.

According to state-run Radio Pakistan, these petitions are linked to the results of the National Assembly and four provincial assembly constituencies.

The ECP has also established a designated cell for the registration of complaints at its office in Islamabad.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that he foresees a stalemate in government formation “if someone is not ready to change their stance”.

Speaking to reporters at the Supreme Court today, the former foreign minister said the PPP and him are adamant on their stance, highlighting that it will not be changed at any cost.

“If someone else wants to change their stance, there can be progress. If they are not ready to change it, I foresee a stalemate,” Bilawal said, adding that this would not benefit democracy or the parliamentary system.

“If I want to give the PML-N a vote, I will have to give it on my terms and not theirs,” he said.

“The delay [in forming the government] is because of non-serious,” he said, adding that this harmed Pakistan’s democracy. “The faster this is resolved, it will be better for stability and the incoming government.”

PTI’s Kamran Bangash has said he still has not received a response from the Returning Officer after requesting attested copies of the Form 45.

“It has been seven days since I submitted my application to the Returning Officer PK-82, Awais Khan, requesting attested copies of Form45s immediately after he announced the manipulated consolidated results (Form 47) in absentia of all the candidates and our agents,” he wrote in a post on X.

According to Bangash, his election agent has been visiting the RO’s office daily for the past seven days to no avail.

“This situation exemplifies the disregard for the public’s mandate by a BPS-17 official Awais Khan and his DC Afaaq Wazir, who prioritise personal gains (corruption) over their duty and public vote.”

“It is clear that he was engaged in manipulating the Form 45 to favour a candidate who ranked seventh in the voting, yet a group of unscrupulous individuals declared him the winner,” he said.