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Questions raised as MNA Nawaz chairs Punjab govt meetings
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PTI plans long march, sit-in against ‘rigging’ after Eid
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11 file papers for Nawabshah seat vacated by Zardari
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For more on our elections coverage, go here
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Questions raised as MNA Nawaz chairs Punjab govt meetings
PTI plans long march, sit-in against ‘rigging’ after Eid
11 file papers for Nawabshah seat vacated by Zardari
For more on our elections coverage, go here
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.
Ali Amin Gandapur, who has been nominated by the PTI for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, has said that there should be no hesitation in marching for the rights of the province.
His remarks were shared by the party in a post on X. “I will participate in every forum for the rights of the province,” Gandapur was quoted as saying. “I hope that with sincere efforts, we will succeed.”
He promised to create a CM portal along the lines of the prime minister’s portal during Imran Khan’s tenure to resolve the complaints of the people.
“We will make significant efforts regarding the rights of the provinces,” Gandapur added. “I will work with all political parties in the assembly together.”
Gandapur further said the process of forming the provincial cabinet had started and recommendations would be sent to Imran soon. He further stated that PTI was not behind the events of May 9 and said investigations would reveal the truth.
“People going towards Rana Sanaullah’s house in Faisalabad were stopped, but they were allowed towards government properties,” he said. “The party’s policy was to not cause damage to government properties.”
He said the country needed to move forward now. Gandapur promised that the PTI would not avenge what had befallen it over the last few months.
“We will provide dignified employment opportunities for youth,” Gandapur concluded. “We will promote local industry.”
Let me first thank those who have voted for the party I lead. This is a trust that places an onerous responsibility on me and the team which will help me lead the government.
Millions of new voters have voted this time. Millions more will be voting in the next round. Sixty-four percent of Pakistanis are younger than 30 and 29 percent are between 15 and 29. They have new aspirations and are frustrated with how this country has been governed. This makes my job even more difficult. Not only must I lead under trying circumstances that call for major changes in the governance paradigm, the situation also demands a healing touch.
Not everyone has voted for my party. We have a sizeable opposition in the country, both inside and outside parliament. It is the opposition’s legitimate task to hold the government’s feet to fire. Equally, the only way to run the country is for the Treasury and Opposition benches to agree on a minimum of some basic principles — essentially, points of convergence on how, together, we can move forward. The situation calls upon all the political players to avoid political differences to grow to the point of enmity. Divided we all fall.
Read more from EOS here.
While speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan urged political parties to accept the mandate of the people.
“These parties, who haven’t even won so much as 40 seats, they and everyone else need to listen to the what the people are saying, which is that they have accepted Imran Khan as prime minister and they want a better Pakistan,” he said.
He remarked that PPP and PML-N were the beneficiaries of rigging in the Feb 8 polls and were “waiting to see who stabs the other in the back first”.
“Fazlur Rehman said what Imran Khan said before, that this vote of no-confidence against PTI was an engineered process,” Khan said. “He admitted this, and this is the biggest endorsement.”
He also noted that 30 million people voted for PTI and Imran Khan because they were “the only ones capable of removing Pakistan from this slump and putting it on the right track.”
While speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan termed the rigging against his party “the mother of all rigging”, adding that PTI “rejects this in the strongest possible terms”.
He alleged that the 70,000 vote lead that Rawalpindi Election Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha spoke about yesterday belonged to PTI, and demanded that PTI candidates be notified about the original results..
“I also want to point out that 18-19 of our seats in Karachi were stolen by MQM-P. Rigging took place the same way Chattha admitted yesterday,” he said.
“We demand that this process be reversed,” he said.
Omar Ayub Khan, the PTI’s candidate for prime minister, has said that after the allegations levelled by the Rawalpindi commissioner, there should be a judicial inquiry.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, he said, “There should be a judicial inquiry with independent judges. And those named by the Pindi commissioner should not be involved in this inquiry.”
Referring to the chief justice, Omar said that since the top judge had been named by the commissioner, the party would request that he not become a part of the bench.
“And an independent panel […] there should be a clear and fair transparency,” he said.
Omar Ayub Khan, the PTI’s candidate for the slot of prime minister, has lamented the crackdown on the party over the last few months.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, he said, “Even now, police are picking up our workers and leaders and pressuring them. This was not the job of any caretaker setup. They exceeded their mandate.”
He further said that the PTI would form the government in the Centre and provinces.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, PTI’s Gohar Ali Khan commented on yesterday’s press conference by the Rawalpindi commissioner — wherein he made rigging allegations.
“This is the first time that a commissioner delivers a press conference according to his conscience,” he said. He further said that a judicial commission should be formed on the allegations levelled and an inquiry should be conducted, adding that the results should be shared with the public.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, PTI leader Gohar Ali Khan has said that voters cast their ballot in favour of Imran Khan even though the party faced many hurdles in the run-up to the Feb 8 polls.
He asserted that the party had won “180 seats” in the National Assembly. Giving a breakdown, he said that the party had won 42 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 115 in Punjab, 16 in Sindh and four in Balochistan.
“In Balochistan we got one seat, three are due. In Sindh, we did not get even a single one. In Punjab, we are due around 50,” he said. He further said that the provisional result of the Feb 8 polls was delayed.
Gohar said the party’s victory in Punjab was “diluted”, while it was “eradicated” in Sindh and decreased in Balochistan.
The Punjab police has said that Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer (RPO) Syed Khurram Ali submitted a request for 14-day leave on January 17.
“A formal summary in this regard was sent to the Chief Minister Punjab Office on January 30,” the police spokesperson said in a post on X.
“The Punjab government approved the 14-day leave of Rawalpindi RPO Syed Khurram Ali based on the recommendations of the summary,” the spokesperson said.
The post said that a notification, a copy of which was shared with the post, had been issued allowing the RPO to proceed on leave from February 18 to March 2.
It should be mentioned that the development comes a day after Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha accused the Election Commission of Pakistan and Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa of involvement in ‘rigging’ the Feb 8 polls — a claim denied by the electoral watchdog and the top judge.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has notified 36 returned candidates for the National Assembly, Radio Pakistan reports.
The list includes one candidate each from PML-N, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians, Majlis-e-Wahdat ul Muslimeen and 33 independents from different constituencies of the NA in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
JI Emir Sirajul Haq has demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, alleging that the Feb 8 polls were the most rigged in the country’s history.
All photos by Abdullah Zehri
A shutterdown strike is being observed across Balochistan by four political parties — namely BNP, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Hazara Democratic Party and National Party — against alleged rigging in the Feb 8 polls.
According to the district administration, the following roads have been closed as workers of the BNP and NP took to the streets:
PTI leaders Barrister Gohar Khan and Omar Ayub will address a press conference at the party’s central secretariat shortly, according a social media post.
PTI Senior Vice President Sher Afzal Marwat has said his residence was raided last night and his laptop was confiscated.
“I managed to run away from my home and now I am at a safe place,” he wrote on X, adding that he would approach the court against the “criminal act”.
President Dr Arif Alvi has summoned a Senate session on Feb 19 (Monday), according to a notification issued by the Senate Secretariat.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President has been pleased to summon the Senate to meet,” it said.
It must be noted that the president is bound to convene the National Assembly’s session after the official announcement of election results or issuance of its notification within 21 days, as per the Constitution.
The PTI has said it wants the “real mandate” of the public to be recognised, clarifying that it was not demanding the annulment of general elections.
“The results of the elections should reflect the actual votes cast by the people,” it said in a post on X.
The PTI added that all the institutions in Pakistan needed to ensure that only those who are the real representatives of the Pakistani people are seated in the Parliament.
Balochistan Information Minister Jan Achakzai has termed the shutter down strike in the province, announced by nationalist Baloch parties against “poll rigging”, a “failure”.
In a post on X, he said all the major highways in the province were open.
“The Sardars and Nawabs of Balochistan are punishing the common people to reject the elections,” Achakzai added.
PML-N secretary information Marriyum Aurangzeb has called for countering propaganda and misinformation through facts, patience and prayers.
“I understand PMLN Social media team’s anger and frustration over false narratives and baseless accusations, but these times call for our best character and judgement rather than fuelling rage and hate as exhibited by others across,” the former federal minister said in a post on X.
“PMLN despite being victimised, bullied, trolled and harassed in ways worse than name calling, continues to strive and pray for a united, peaceful, tolerant and better Pakistan.”
Veteran politician Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind, who lost the February 8 elections from Kacchi’s PB-12, has demanded repolls in the country amid allegations of rigging.
In an interview with Dawn.com, he suggested that political parties boycott the assemblies.
“Asif Zardari, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Bilawal Bhutto are requested to refuse to accept the existence of the present assembly and move towards transparent elections again,” Rind added.
PML-N leader Khawaja Asif has said the decision to nominate Shehbaz Sharif as the prime minister was that the latter had greater experience in dealing with the coalition government.
“But rest assured, Nawaz Sharif will remain our quaid and the coin will always be in his hand,” he asserted.
PML-N leader and former federal minister Khawaja Asif has stressed that it was time political parties think beyond their “personal benefits” and work for the public.
“There can be no economic stability without political stability,” he said at a press conference, lamenting that the current political behaviours were further promoting division in the public.
Regarding the formation of the government, Asif said there was a development in the talks between the PML-N and PPP but stopped short of revealing the details. Regarding the Punjab government, he said PML-N had attained a “comfortable majority” in the province.
PML-N leader Attaullah Tarar has urged the caretaker government to take strict action against those who threatened returning officers (ROs).
“Is it not terrorism when they display the RO’s photos online?” Tarar questioned at a press conference in Lahore, adding that this was a highly condemnable action.
PML-N spokesperson for Punjab, Uzma Bukhari, claimed that the ROs and District Returning Officers (DROs) were being “pushed to be like Liaquat Ali Chattha”, alleging that they were being forced to lie about rigging in the elections.
“This cannot happen in any Banana Republic, that they [ROs and DROs] are pushed to become like Liaquat Chattha, and if they don’t comply, they are told they have no place in this country,” she said.
PML-N leader Attaullah Tarar has asserted that the upcoming era belongs to PML-N.
“Remember, this constituency was Nawaz Sharif’s in the past and remains so today too,” he said at a media talk in Lahore.
He praised Khawaja Saad Rafique for graciously accepting his defeat and urged others to show similar bravery as well.
“On the one hand you’ve won seats, yet you’re complaining about rigging,” he said in reference to the PTI-backed independents. “Choose which statement you’re supporting.”
He also lamented the “wrong use” of social media, saying it has been used to spread lies and create animosity between people.