Live: Elections 2024

The Islamabad police have said that section 144 is in force in the city and the security is on “high alert”, as the PTI is set to begin its countrywide protests.

Without directly referring to any scheduled protests, it said that there could be increased traffic near the F9 park and urged the public to avoid “unnecessary travel” on the nearby routes.

The police said that special forces of the Counter Terrorism Department had been deployed on patrol to deal with any emergency.

“Patrolling has been increased across the district while checking has been tightened at checkpoints,” it added.

The PTI has announced the locations in southern Punjab where it will hold protests against alleged poll-rigging.

“To some, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman triggered a political earthquake late Thursday when, during a television interview, he ‘revealed’ that former army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and spy chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed had organised and orchestrated the 2022 vote of no-confidence that resulted in Imran Khan’s ouster.

“A day later, he ‘corrected’ himself in a different interview, saying he had taken the ex-spy chief’s name by mistake, and that it was his successor that he had, in fact, been referring to.

“‘They were in contact with all political parties regarding the no-confidence motion, and they told us the way of going about it,’ he had initially said. The PDM parties went along with the plan, but they were merely “rubber-stamping” the move, the JUI-F chief claimed.”

Read the full editorial here.

The PTI has said that the “trenches have been dug opposite the National Press Club” in Islamabad, one of the locations where it will be holding a protest against alleged rigging in Feb 8 polls.

The X account of the party’s Islamabad chapter shared a video of the purported trenches.

PML-N leader Shaza Fatima Khawaja has said that the PTI would “ensure that it keeps causing political instability” until it forms a government.

Reacting to the PTI’s call for protests against alleged rigging in Feb 8 polls, Shaza said the PTI “would rather see the country go down (God forbid) but not accept defeat”.

Further assailing the PTI, the PML-N leader said, “When you give them the driving seat (government), they deliberately take the country to the brink of default and keep destroying the social structure with a combination of malafide, corrupt practices and incompetence.”

The PPP has linked its support to PML-N in the Centre with its participation in the Punjab government, while Nawaz league stalwarts have publicly opposed moves to form a government that would be like a “crown of thorns” for them.

A source in the PPP told Dawn that the party had asked PML-N that all other matters would be decided between them later, the N-League would first have to give it “some space” in the Punjab set-up.

Following this demand, the scheduled meeting of the contact and coordination committees of both sides could not take place on Friday, with the PML-N seeking one more day to sit together on Saturday.

“Members of the PML-N’s committee went to Lahore on Friday to get response of the party’s high command on the PPP’s demand. They will return from Lahore tomorrow and the meeting between the two sides will take place at 3pm on Saturday,” the source said.

Read more here.

Repolling is under way at six polling stations of NA-43 (Tank/Dera Ismail Khan), as scheduled by the ECP.

In an earlier statement, the ECP had said that polls could not be held at those polling stations due to poor law and order.

PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that no political party has an absolute majority in the Centre in the Feb 8 elections.

In a post on X, he said, “The formation of the federal government is the joint responsibility of all the parties in the parliament, not the PML-N.

“Independent members supported by PTI should take the initiative [and] form a joint central government with the PPP,” he suggested.

“PML N has no desire to decorate this crown of thorns on its head,” Rafique said referring to forming the next government.

PTI has announced the locations for its protests in northern Punjab, which it said would be against alleged rigging in the Feb 8 elections.

The protests would be held at F9 Park in the Rawalpindi district, outside the ECP office in Jhelum, outside the press club in Chakwal and at Attock’s Fawara Chowk.

Other locations include the district commissioner’s office in Khushab, Sargodha’s Qainchi Mor, Mianwali’s Rokhri Mor and Zame Wala Tehsil in Bhakkar.

After Grand Democratic Alliance held a protest in Jamshoro, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Waqar Mehdi said that the alliance’s leader Pir Pagara was a “respectable” personality but was being used by already “rejected” elements.

“Pir Sahib Pagara is a highly respected personality, and his devotees had gathered at Hyderabad Jamshoro Bypass to meet Pir Sahib,” said Mehdi.

Mehdi claimed that “in GDA, no party other than the Functional League can even win councilor elections.”

He also accused religious parties of using seminary students for political purposes to create the impression of large rallies and protests.

PTI’s Barrister Ali Saif has said the party has decided to sit in the opposition in the Centre and Punjab in accordance with instructions of party founder Imran Khan.

Talking to the media after visiting the Qaumi Watan Party in Islamabad, Saif said: “We decided to sit in opposition despite the reality that if we received seats according to our votes and the results were not changed then maybe today we might have been in the Centre with 180 seats. Form 45 is the evidence that our candidates won.”

Jamaat-i-Islami leader Liaquat Baloch has said that his party’s contact and talks with the PTI will continue in the future.

Addressing the media in Islamabad after a meeting with a PTI delegation led by Asad Qaiser, he said: “I think we will welcome whichever party protests against this rigged election.”

PTI lawyer Mashal Yousafzai has said that party founder Imran Khan has given clear directions that talks with other political parties will only be regarding alleged electoral rigging and participation in protests.

“Apart from this, any party that was part of the regime change and compromised on the sovereignty of Pakistan will have no say or alliance to form the government. Our politics and struggle is not for power but for true freedom and people,” she said while relaying Imran’s message.

GDA leader Pir Pagara has asserted that the upcoming government will not last beyond eight to 10 months as per his information.

“What has happened because of the sky-high inflation during the past 20 months of government? The middle class is being eliminated. Inflation will touch the sky after this inflation and the middle class will be wiped out.”

GDA leader Pir Pagara has lauded the performance of PTI-backed independent candidates in the general elections, adding that young and female supporters of the party had pulled off a “miracle” despite obstacles.

“If you don’t give respect and justice in this country then people will find alternate path.”

GDA leader Pir Pagara has questioned the Election Commission of Pakistan for being missing in action and called on it to take notice of the alleged rigging in the general elections,

He questioned whether politicians before PTI founder Imran Khan had not taken state gifts from the Toshakhana despite it being illegal. “In my view Imran Khan is not a thief, yes there could have been a mistake … but he is not a thief,” he said.

Grand Democratic Alliance leader Pir Pagara has alleged that the result of the general elections was “already sold three months back and the payment was made too”.

Addressing a party power show in Jamshoro, he said the election had proved that no political leader or party were prevalent at the national level but reduced to provincial levels.

“Our protest is against the snatching of our mandate.”

Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem has lent support to the GDA’s stance of rejecting the elections.

“We don’t accept the results … The Supreme Court should take notice, declare results illegal and summon Form 45s,” he roared.

Naeem said the party did not believe in lies and alleged that an “arrangement” was made to silence the party.

Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem castigated what he said was the rule of a mafia in Sindh’s urban and rural areas.

Addressing a power show of the Grand Democratic Alliance in Jamshoro, he said a movement launched by the party would rid the people of the mafia’s control.

“Urban feudals have been imposed over Karachi. You know that the MQM-P obtained not even 100,000 genuine seats in the election and it was gifted 15 NA and 25 provincial seats. They are terrorists who deal in bodies,” he said.

PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat has said he will lead Saturday’s protest from Islamabad’s F9 park to the National Press Club.

“If the rulers want to inflict violence upon us then let me tell them one thing, I take full responsibility that if anyone wants to spread discord in Islamabad then we will ourselves catch them and hand them over to authorities.”

He said the protest would remain peaceful, warning that if the police clamped down it then the movement would continue until “the results are not changed”.

PTI Senior Vice President Sher Afzal Marwat has said that party founder Imran Khan wants supporters to come out and protest on Saturday at 11:30am in the same numbers as they came out on February 8.

“One more time. You have to come out for Khan, democracy and real freedom in Pakistan,” he said.

Grand Democratic Alliance leader Fehmida Mirza has criticised the fairness of the general elections, asking Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa whether he had taken notice of the matter.

Addressing a power show in Jamshoro, she said: “We reject this election, we reject this election commission.”

Mirza said Article 6 should be applied on those who had snatched the people’s rights.

She also hit out at the PPP for how the local government elections in Sindh were conducted, accusing the party of rigging.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s interview with journalist Gharidah Farooqi will air at 7pm today, the party said in a post on X.

The iVerify Pakistan team sought to determine the veracity of the claim that PTI-backed candidate Meher Bano Qureshi won Multan’s NA-151 seat in a recount.

The team came across a Feb 11 X post by the Gillani House Media Cell which uploaded the supposed Form 49 or final result of the election for the constituency.

The form showed Musa with the highest votes in the constituency at 79,082 to Meher Bano’s 71,659.

The team confirmed the authenticity of the Form 49 via Dawn reporter Tassur Subhani who also said: “No recounting occurred in the NA-151 constituency of Multan and the circulating claim is not correct.”

Read the full story here.

Barrister Taimur Malik, who contested the Feb 8 polls with the support of the PTI, said that he had contested the elections against ex-premier Yousuf Raza Gillani.

It should be mentioned that Gilani was declared a winner from NA-148 with 67,326 votes, while Malik had secured 67,033 votes.

“They couldn’t even carry out rigging correctly in my constituency,” he said. He said that the first Form 47 showed him with a lead of 200 votes while it was reduced to some 100 votes in the second.

“Gilani sahib, you’ve been had. Don’t abandon your Senate seat. Don’t look toward the National Assembly,” he said. He said that at the polling station near his home, he garnered 767 votes of which 13 were rejected.

He said this was later changed to 767 votes rejected and only 13 votes in favour of him.

Speaking to the media at a rally organised by the PTI in Islamabad, party leader Khurram Sher Zaman lamented the “day light robbery” in Karachi during the Feb 8 polls.

He decried that seats were “handed out” to the MQM-P. He noted that when the PTI formed its government in 2018, Karachi had played the biggest role in this regard.

He said according to the Form 45, the PTI had won 19 National Assembly seats in Karachi. He said that the Jamaat-i-Islami had garnered the second highest number of votes according to the Form 45.

Usman Dar’s mother Rehana Dar, who contested the Feb 8 polls with the support of the PTI from NA-71, said that she was a housewife who had nothing to do with politics but was compelled to contest the elections.

Speaking at a press conference organised by the PTI in Islamabad, she alleged that her house was raided on the directives of PML-N’s Khawaja Asif.

She said that thousands of “brave sons, mothers and daughters” showed her support in the polls. “The votes were not for me, they were for Imran Khan. The city of Sialkot loves Imran Khan,” she said.

“Contest elections outside. Don’t break doors and disrespect a mother,” she said. “If you want, I am ready to contest the polls again,” she said.

Ayaz Amir, who contested the Feb 8 polls with the support of the PTI, has said: “What were mechanics of rigging in my Chakwal constituency NA-58 […] the one thing done early in the evening was that the office of the returning officer (RO) was sealed.”

Speaking a press conference in Islamabad organised by the PTI, he said that the RO’s office was sealed by the police and the “caretakers of the caretakers”.

He said that he visited the RO office at 6pm on election day but he was kicked out around 7:30-8pm. “Which means that the RO and other people were there and they could do what they wanted,” he said.

He said that he was in possession of the “original” Form 45 of all polling stations in his constituency.

Salman Akram Raja, who contested the Feb 8 polls with the PTI’s backing, said that the “rigging” which happened during the Feb 8 polls took place at the office of the returning officer (RO).

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, he said, “Normally one talks of rigging at polling stations, where the accusation is that the rival candidates carried out the rigging. But once the votes have all been brought to the office of the RO […] and once Form 45, that tabulates the result in every polling station, has been brought to the office of the RO, one expects that the final aggregate based on the results from each of the polling stations would be done fairly by the RO.”

He said that what happened on election night and Feb 9 was a “massive assault” on democracy in Pakistan. He alleged that “fictitious” Form 47 were created and the Form 45 were “tampered with”.

“What is the point in holding an election if you are going to create a result out of thin air?” he asked. “If the state officials responsible for safeguarding the election can be won over […] then every election to be carried out in Pakistan becomes a farce,” he said.

“If this is not reversed then it spells death for democracy in Pakistan. This was not just an election fraud, it was a wholesale assault on democracy in Pakistan,” he said.

During a press conference in Islamabad, PTI’s Shandana Gulzar gave a presentation on alleged rigging in the Feb 8 polls.

“We got 1.25 million votes in Karachi [but] we did not get a single seat. Jamaat-i-Islami received 700,000 votes and not a single National Assembly seat in Karachi,” she said.

“In Punjab, we got 13.6m votes and we were given 55 seats. This is a joke with the people of Pakistan,” she said. Showing graphics on a large screen, she said that at 3am on Feb 9, the PTI had won 154 seats in the National Assembly while the PML-N and PPP had won 47 each.

She said that the party was winning 42 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, of which some were stolen and the party was handed 37.

“From Islamabad, we were winning three and all three were stolen from us,” he said. “In Punjab we were winning 115 and 55 were given to us. In Balochistan we were getting four we got one,” she said.

PTI Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan said that 2024 would be remembered due to the “biggest voter fraud” in Pakistan’s history against the party and its candidates.

“According to our estimates, out of 177 [National Assembly] seats which were supposed to be ours, only 92 have been given to us. And 85 seats have been taken away from us fraudulently,” he said at a press conference in Islamabad, adding that the party was taking constitutional and legal steps in this regard.

“We have verified data about 46 seats and it is being compiled for 39 seats,” he said. He said that the party had three ways to ascertain alleged rigging in the polls, saying that there were discrepancies between the Form 45 and the Form 47.

He further said that there was also a huge difference in the numbers of votes polled for National Assembly and provincial assembly seats. He said that the number of rejected votes, in certain cases, exceeded the margin of victory.

PTI’s Seemabia Tahir then took the stage and played a video of alleged rigging in the Feb 8 polls.