Live: Elections 2024

Repolling at six polling stations of the NA-43 (Tank-Dera Ismail Khan) constituency is currently underway, Radio Pakistan reports.

The polling will continue till five in evening without any break, the report said, adding that law enforcement personnel had been deputed to ensure security.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has notified the victory of PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur — who is likely to become the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — along with 92 other candidates, mostly PTI-backed, who were elected to the provincial assembly in Feb 8 polls.

Initially, the election watchdog issued notifications for 92 candidates that did not include Gandapur, who emerged victorious on two seats: PK-113 and NA-44 in Dera Ismail Khan. His victory notification for the KP assembly as well as the NA seat was issued separately in the evening.

The ECP issued notification of 93 candidates, including 83 PTI-backed candidates, two PPP candidates, and three JUI-F nominees besides five other independent candidates. Out of 115 KP Assembly seats, elections were not held on PK-22 in Bajaur and PK-91 in Kohat as polling was postponed after the deaths of contesting candidates.

Read more here.

Services of X (previously Twitter) reportedly face disruption for a third day.

Dawn.com staffers were unable to access the social media platform even with the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

The Supreme Court has summoned the petitioner who filed a plea seeking the Feb 8 general elections to be declared null and void due to alleged violations of democratic norms and electoral integrity.

As a three-member bench — led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and also including Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali — took up the plea, the petitioner did not appear before the court.

Subsequently, the apex court issued a notice to the petitioner, Brigadier (rtd) Ali Khan through the defence ministry and adjourned the hearing until Feb 21.

The SC noted that the petitioner had identified himself as a former brigadier and when contacted again, his phone number was found to be turned off.

“Was the application filed only for publicity? This cannot be allowed. We will not allow the SC to be used in a wrong manner,” the court observed. It further stated that the plea had been filed in the SC on February 12 but had been reported on the media beforehand.

Recalling that the notice to the petitioner could not be delivered to the stated address and contact number, the court ordered that Ali be contacted through the station house officer concerned.

DEMOCRACY in Pakistan has yet to yield significant improvements in living standards and provide a stable environment for businesses to thrive. Despite this, the recent elections saw 60.5 million Pakistanis using ballots, more than ever before in the nation’s history.

It indicates people’s profound trust in democracy and a belief, perhaps perceived irrational by many observers, that an elected government has the potential to serve the public better and advance the nation’s long-term interests. The crucial question looms: Will the new government live up to this trust and deliver on its promises?

Unfortunately, the situation is incredibly intricate, and the success hinges greatly on the competence of the new economic team in navigating these challenges. Pakistan confronts daunting economic hurdles: inflation has soared to an unprecedented rate of over 30 per cent, while economic growth remains almost stagnant if one considers the population growth rate.

All discussants on the topic unanimously agreed on the high stakes involved, recognising that the next finance minister faces the formidable task of meeting the expectations of both the public and the business community while simultaneously adhering to stringent stability targets.

Read more here.

The Supreme Court has begun hearing a private petition seeking the February 8 general elections to be declared null and void due to alleged violations of democratic norms and electoral integrity.

Filed by an individual named Ali Khan, the petition urged the court to order new elections within 30 days to be held under the direct supervision and oversight of the judiciary “to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability”.

A three-member bench — led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and also including Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali — is presiding over the hearing.

As the petitioner did not appear before the court today, the CJP asked where he was. At this, Justice Mazhar noted that Ali had requested on February 13 to withdraw his plea.

CJP Isa then ordered that the petitioner be presented before the court and instructed the relevant police station’s station house officer to ensure that Ali appeared before the court.

“Such a prank cannot be played on the Supreme Court. Bring the petitioner from wherever and present him before the court,” Justice Isa remarked, adding that the bench would hear the petition.

PTI’s Musarrat Cheema has said that the PML-N is attempting to change the election results by “fake printing” of polling material.

In a post on X, she claimed, “The reality is that Nawaz Sharif’s politics has come to an end.”

PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that a session of the National Assembly, which would be the first of the upcoming government, should be convened “as soon as possible”.

In a post on X, he said, “Conducting the grand national dialogue is the prime responsibility of this assembly.”

Rafique further said that state institutions should also be involved in the dialogue to “give way to each other so that Pakistan gets way”.

PPP has firmly claimed that it was in a position to form its government in Balochistan as PML-N has assured its full support to the party in the province.

“Some nationalist parties were raising hue and cry over their defeat in the polls, but despite all odds, the PPP will form government in Baloch­istan,” PPP leader Sarfaraz Bugti said in a press conference.

“Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has given us a clear message that it will be our ally in Balochistan,” he added.

Bugti said the PPP would soon finalise the process of government formation in Balochistan. He, however, said the PPP had yet to decide a candidate for the chief minister’s slot.

Read more here.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has notified more than 100 returned candidates for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly.

The complete list can be found here.

The ECP has also notified returned candidates for the Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan assemblies.

In KP, PTI’s proposed alliance with the PTI-Parliamentarians has hit a snag.

An official said that it was decided to merge the PTI in the PTI-P in KP with ex-KP CM Mahmood Khan as its co-chairperson, but there were objections to this idea and the PTI leaders wanted Mahmood Khan to quit the party just like his predecessor Pervez Khattak.

“Now, we are also contacting Jamiat Ulama-i-Islam-Nazryati and Tehreek-i-Inqilab in KP for the merger,” said a PTI leader.

It may be noted that the decision to approach the PTI-P for a merger was taken by the PTI after its talks with the Jamaat-i-Islami collapsed.

Read more here.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has made it clear that his party “will not pick up weapons” but merely protest within the ambits of the law and take their movement forward if they choose to not sit in the parliament.

Speaking on a Geo News programme, he again invited political parties that were part of PDM to sit on the opposition benches with JUI-F instead of burying their politics by forming a government.

“Our rights have been snatched for PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, different political parties in Balochistan, for PPP in Sindh, and for PML-N in Punjab,” he said. “We were told that leave a seat and you will be accommodated somewhere else.”

Speaking on Geo News show ‘Jirga’, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman talked about his recent meeting with a PTI delegation. He said that in Pashtun culture, one did not turn away guests.

“This is not the first time PTI people came. They have come before as well. We have always given them respect,” he said, Fazl further said that a “culture” had developed where meetings between two sides were automatically termed an “alliance”.

He said that the JUI-F had reservations about the election results in the country. “In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, we have reservations concerning the PTI,” he said. He added that this stance was also presented to the PTI delegation.

Noting the difference between the two parties, Fazl equated them to “mountains” and said that they were not easy to overcome.

“We are firm on our stance, they are firm on their stance,” he said, adding that there was no alliance between the two.

“But if them coming and talking to us, creates an environment where talks take place, and after those talks we go towards solving problems; we are political people and a political person never says no to talks,” he said.

Commenting on the Feb 8 polls, he asked, “How can we accept such an election from which so many anomalies have arisen?”

In a post on X, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said, “Thank you Pakistan! Our campaign and results have proven, once again, that the Peoples Party is what binds this nation together.”

“We have reservations over these elections, and will be taking them to the appropriate forums, and we believe the way forward is for all political parties to put aside their personal interests for the interests of the people of Pakistan,” he said.

“Our history has shown who benefits from chaos and division, and the people of Sindh remember the destruction wrought by those who encouraged and brought about the worst dictatorship our country has ever seen,” he said.

“We must not let such a situation arise again. I appeal to all political parties to think of the people. Put aside your differences. The challenges we face are too immense, and history will not judge us kindly if we care more for our ambitions than the fates of over 230 million people,” he said.

PML-N leader Ishaq Dar has stated that the plan to form a government with the PPP and MQM-P was “still on” as he pointed out that there was no other choice available to them.

Speaking to Geo News, the former finance minister said the committees of both political parties had held four rounds of meetings so far but nothing was finalised as yet.

“None of the committee members of both parties will make anything public till it isn’t final,” Dar added. “I receive calls on a daily basis to find out about the progress but I am morally bound to not say anything till it’s finalised.”

The PML-N leader termed Bilawal’s revelations of a power-sharing formula merely a fraction of the dialogue held between the two parties so far.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to divulge any more detail about this,” he said. “Bilawal made the time-sharing formula public but that was just one aspect and there can be more formulas.”

Internet monitor Netblocks has stated that its metrics show that social media platform X has been restricted in Pakistan for 24 hours, “the latest and longest in a series of nation-scale internet censorship measures imposed by authorities as reports of election fraud emerge”.

A day earlier Netblocks had reported a nationwide disruption to X “amid escalating unrest and protests over allegations of election fraud, following a high-level resignation and public admission of vote manipulation by a senior election official”.

The development had come after Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha accused the Election Commission of Pakistan and Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa of involvement in ‘rigging’ — a claim denied by the electoral watchdog and the top judge.

Earlier today, the director Bolo Bhi, an advocacy forum for digital rights, Usama Khilji had said that X was inaccessible for many except via select VPNs.

“Most users complaining their VPNs are also blocked and internet is slow,” he said, noting that there was no official word from the telecom authority or the IT minister “whose job is to ensure seamless internet access”.

JI chief Sirajul Haq has said that Pakistan is the only country where a “government is formed first” and “elections are held later”.

In a post on X, he said, that throughout the world, elections were held first and a government was formed later.

“The nation has clearly rejected this unconstitutional and undemocratic act,” Siraj added.

Maryam Nawaz, the PML-N’s nominee for the Punjab chief minister’s office, has stated that those who incite the bureaucracy to break the law would be dealt with according to the law.

In statement posted by the party on social media platform X, she said that threatening the bureaucracy was equivalent to creating chaos within the state machinery.

She said that officers should not be intimidated by threats and should perform their duties according to the law.

Without taking any names, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that the party had decided that it would move forward with “those who has asked for its votes” and would not seek any ministries.

“To control the fire spreading in the country, we have decided that Zardari will be our candidate for the presidential election. And when he takes up the post, he will put out this fire, and will save the Centre and the provinces,” he said while speaking in Thatta.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has appealed to all the political parties of the country to “stay within the system” and work for the country’s betterment.

“But if we want to move ahead like this and spread this division of hate and politics, where someone tries to divide you along religious lines, then someone else would try to divide you along ethnic lines and someone else will try to divide through sectarianism,” he said.

Bilawal also challenged Pir Pagara and Maulana Fazlur Rehman to bring all their Form 45s to him and if proven wrong, he would contest polls against them the next day.

“I have won two seats out of which I will vacate a seat for by-elections,” he said. “How about you come and contest against us on that seat? Let’s see what your worth is.”

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has revealed the power-sharing formula he was offered wherein the prime minister’s seat would be shared between two parties.

“I was told that let us be the prime minister for three years and then you can take the premiership for the remaining two years,” he told a rally in Thatta.

“I said no to this. I said I do not want to be a prime minister like this,” Bilawal added. “If I become the prime minister, it would be after the people of Pakistan elect me.”

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that his party decided to collect the election complaints of jiyalas from all over the country and raise them at appropriate forums.

Addressing the people of Thatta, he said: “If we are unsuccessful, we will come to you and protest together”.

Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has claimed that a PTI-backed candidate was made to win against a PPP leader.

Addressing a rally in Thatta, he said that he also had all the Form 45s available with him and would approach the appropriate forum but “wouldn’t burn his own house down or divide the country”.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that the country needed a political party that talked about the people’s problems.

Addressing a rally in Thatta, he said that the brewing economic and political crisis had divided society.

“What should happen is that politicians and all political parties, rather than focusing on their personal benefit, should think about the people of this country,” Bilawal added.

PTI leader Meher Bano Qureshi has said that her party was “ready and willing” to form the government provided that the people’s mandate was restored.

She posted a video clip of her statement on X, saying that people could not be expected to sit silently when their mandate had been “hijacked”.

“We will hold those responsible and those who have benefitted accountable,” Meher Bano added. “We will protect the people’s vote and be their voice!”

Speaking to the media in Lahore, Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq termed the Feb 8 polls the most “polluted and infamous” in Pakistan’s history.

He alleged that the census conducted before the polls was “manipulated”, adding that the population size was inflated in some areas and reduced in others.

He said that a government formed using “manipulated elections” and results would not last. “There is no solution other than following the Constitution and law,” he said.

He urged all political parties who believed in free and fair elections to unite. “Everyone is raising their voices. Only the beneficiaries are sitting quietly,” he said.

PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat has said that he sustained minor injuries on both his legs in a raid carried out at his home last night.

In a post on X, Marwat said he would press charges against the inspector general, senior superintendent of police operations, and also the Counter Terrorism Department for dacoity and criminal trespassing.

“I know my intimidators and ask them to stop it before it’s too late,” he warned.