Live: Elections 2024

Three people were killed and five received injuries when unidentified attackers opened fire on a vehicle in the rally of the PPP in Dera Ismail Khan’s Bhud area on Monday.

A police official said that unidentified persons attacked the vehicle with firearms in the limits of Hattala police station. The people on board the vehicle were going to congratulate PPP candidate Ahmed Karim Kundi for his victory on a provincial assembly seat in the general elections.

He said that three people were killed and five received injuries in the attack. Rescue 1122 team along with police reached the spot after receiving information about the attack and shifted the dead and injured to hospital.

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PTI leader Latif Khosa lamented the alleged rigging in the February 8 general elections that “stole seats” from PTI.

“This pattern we’re seeing of discrepancies in Form 45 and 47 is a joke. Form 45 results should be announced,” he said, while speaking to the media in Islamabad.

“I credit Khawaja Saad Rafique for showing grace and accepting his defeat,” he said. “If Nawaz Sharif has lost to Yasmin Rashid, he should accept that.”

PTI-backed MNA-elect from Lodhran, Rana Faraz Noon, has allegedly refused to accept an invitation by the PPP to join the party.

Sources close to Rana Faraz say he was contacted by some members of the Gilani family from Multan, who visited the outhouse of the MNA-elect late on Sunday and offered him to join the party, also pledging to give him a ministry if the PPP formed the government in the centre.

During the visit, the sources say, some PPP stalwarts also talked to Noon on the telephone and tried to convince him to join the party.

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Speaking to the media in Islamabad, PTI leader Sardar Latif Khosa said the people of Pakistan have given a “clear mandate” by voting for PTI in the general elections.

He advocated for Imran Khan’s release, adding that the people’s vote “was not for the bat but for Imran Khan.”

“The speed with which he was convicted in his cases should be the speed at which he is released from jail,” Khosa commented.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, PTI leader Latif Khosa said that the election results were “correct” up till the issuance of the Form 45.

“According to the Form 45, 170 of our people are winning. They are not independent because PTI exists as a legal and constitutional party. Calling us independent is wrong and illegal,” he said.

He said that if reserved seats were added to this number, then the PTI would cross the 200 mark in the National Assembly. “The largest political party which emerges in the election is given the right to form the government,” he said.

He also expressed astonishment at reports of a power-sharing formula between the PML-N and the PPP. “What joke is being done with democracy?”

“Who are they — who have been rejected by the people — to divide among themselves […] No Assembly or Parliament can function without Imran Khan. No democracy can function and no government can be formed with Imran Khan. So rid yourself of the misunderstanding that by minusing Imran they will be able to operate a democracy or the government. You will have to bring Imran Khan back.

“And because ours is the largest political party, he will be the prime minister. And no one can stop him,” he said.

Vari­ous political parties have continued to hold rallies and sit-ins in several parts of the province against alleged rigging in elections, causing traffic suspension between Balochistan and other provinces.

An alliance of four parties representing Baloch, Pashtoon and Hazara nationalists gave a call for a shutter down strike in the province for today and made it clear they would not abandon their protest until what they called changed results are not withdrawn.

The alliance, comprising Balochistan National Party-Mengal, Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), PTI and Hazara Democr­atic Party (HDP) also sought cooperation from other political parties to extend make the strike successful and force the Election Commission of Pakistan and establishment to honour the mandate of the people of Balochistan.

Already on Monday, a complete shutterdown strike was observed in Turbat and other areas on the call of National Party against the alleged rigging. All markets and private ban­ks in Turbat remained closed throughout the day. Intra-city traffic remained thin.

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A private petition has been filed in the Supreme Court on Monday to declare the Feb 8 general elections 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”.

It also sought a stay order to stop the formation of a new government till the case was decided.

The petition pleaded that the court should order “a thorough and impartial investigation” into the alleged pre-poll rigging, election fraud and misconduct and hold accountable those responsible for undermining the democratic foundations of the nation.

The imprisonment of PTI founder Imran Khan over “fabricated charges” and the subsequent act of depriving the party of its electoral symbol “sev­er­ely undermined the democratic process”.

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Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi has said that “justified complaints regarding the polls would be redressed in accordance with the law”, Radio Pakistan reports.

According to the report, he told a private TV channel that complaints related to the polls were “being heard at the relevant forum”.

Solangi said the caretaker government, particularly the interior minister, had fulfilled its responsibility by holding the biggest democratic exercise in the country in a free, fair, transparent and peaceful manner.

He said around 18,000 candidates took part in the elections, while 90,000 polling stations were set up that enabled more than 60 million persons to cast their votes, Radio Pakistan stated.

PTI leader Hammad Azhar has claimed that the PML-N has only won 17 National Assembly seats in the February 8 general elections, according to the Forms-45 issued by the election commission.

In a post on X, he further claimed that the PML-N had won “30-40 seats in the Punjab Assembly”.

THE people of Pakistan waited long enough for this election, part of which should have happened early last year — in KP and Punjab — and part of it late last year.

But even when the election date was announced, circumstances remained extraordinary. No stone was left unturned to discourage the voters. One party was consistently targeted, its top tier ruthlessly purged and the ones who finally made it to the election line not allowed to campaign. Most of the campaign time was spent underground, evading arrests and even watching their livelihoods destroyed.

If this was on the ground, in Islamabad, the mainstream media ran the most (in)effective disinformation campaign ever: the PTI would boycott the election; the party had disintegrated after May 9 and it had also lost support; it had no electables left; these nobodies and the lawyers who finally got the ticket had no idea how elections worked; they wouldn’t even have enough polling agents for the day.

But as usual, the politicians, the courts, the string pullers and the media underestimated the people, who have many a time waited to get their right to choose — they waited 11 years to vote for the PPP in 1988; eight for the PML-N in 2008, when they brought it to power in Punjab; and a year this time around.

Read the full op-ed here.

Follo­wing days of severe criticism over the delay in the announcement of poll results, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has defended itself, saying a litany of security and logistical challenges impeded the process.

In a detailed statement on Monday, the commission said saving human lives and ensuring accuracy was more important than the swift announcement of election results.

Issues such as peaceful polling, security of polling staff, transportation of polling material and accurate compilation of election results were prioritised by the ECP to ensure peaceful elections despite security challenges.

The statement noted that the suspension of mobile networks, lack of communication access, polling stations in far-flung areas, travel at night, harsh weather and snow, and sit-ins by political parties caused difficulties in the transportation of election results.

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PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan has said that “going against the will of the people” never does the country good.

In a post on X, he said that declaring someone other than whom the public has voted for as the winner amounted to ridiculing the people.

“The public should be given back their mandate,” he added.

US Congressman Dan Kildee has called for “any violence, undue restrictions on voting, or alleged vote tampering” during Pakistan’s general elections to be fully investigated.

In a post on X, he said, “Millions of Pakistanis showed up at the polls to make their voices heard.”

Kildee condemned “any attempt to undermine Pakistan’s democratic process or suppress the will of the people”.

US Congressman Steven Horsford has urged the State Department to refrain from recognising a winner of Pakistan’s general elections “until transparent investigations into fraud claims are complete”.

In a post on X, he voiced concerns over “freedoms and electoral integrity” of the general elections held in Pakistan, urging all parties to uphold democracy.

“Pakistan’s democracy deserves respect for its electoral process,” Horsford added.

PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah has said that ex-premier and party president Shehbaz Sharif will address an “important news conference” at 12pm in Lahore today.

The Central Executive Committee of the PPP which met in Islamabad to deliberate on the post-poll scenario and proposals regarding the coalition government has decided to reach out to all political parties, including the PTI-backed independents, for a possible power-sharing deal.

Addressing a press conference after the CEC meeting on Monday night, Senator Sherry Rehman said, “The PPP will approach all [political] parties, and a committee will be set up in this regard.”

The committee will be formed today (Tuesday), while the CEC meeting which ended without reaching any final decision will also resume today at 3pm.

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PPP Senator Sherry Rehman has said that the party has decided to constitute a committee to initiate contacts with other political parties as per the instructions of party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, she said the PPP’s Central Executive Committee meeting would continue on Tuesday and no final decision was taken as of yet.

Lahore High Court Justice Ali Baqar Najafi has turned down 18 petitions challenging the results of constituencies after the general elections on the basis of Form 47s.

The petitions included those against the electoral wins of PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Hamza Shehbaz, Khawaja Asif, Attaullah Tarar and IPP leader Awn Chaudhry.

The judge directed the petitioners to approach the Election Commission of Pakistan regarding the matter.

The Fair and Free Election Network (Fafen) has called on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to address non-compliance by Returning Officers (ROs) with legal provisions for transparent election result processes.

In a statement today, Fafen said despite generally smooth voting and counting processes, ROs in 135 constituencies did not follow regulations, hindering transparency efforts.

“This included restricting Fafen observers from monitoring tabulation proceedings in 65 constituencies and opening tamper-evident bags without candidate or agent presence in 42 constituencies,” it said.

“Furthermore, ROs in 53 constituencies failed to ensure proper correction of arithmetic errors in Form-45, as required by Election Rules, 2017.”

The statement added that inadequate arrangements at tabulation centres, leading to chaotic environments, were observed in 66 constituencies whereas the logistical challenge of meeting the 2am deadline for delivering results compounded the issue, particularly in geographically large constituencies.

“Only four constituencies managed to prepare complete provisional results by the legally stipulated time of 2am,” it said.

“While acknowledging the need for potential reforms to the Elections Act, 2017, considering operational realities, Fafen emphasises the ECP’s responsibility to investigate non-compliance by ROs.”

Fafen highlighted that Section 55 of the Elections Act, 2017 grants the ECP authority to take action against election officials and public servants for such breaches.

Former PTI MPA Chaudhry Muhammad Adnan has been gunned down by unidentified assailants in Rawalpindi, according to the police.

Adnan had contested the general elections from Rawalpindi’s NA-57 and PP-19 constituencies.

A statement from the Rawalpindi police spokesperson said the incident occurred in the Civil Lines area in front of the city police officer’s (CPO) office.

The police spokesperson said Rawalpindi CPO Syed Khalid Hamdani has directed the Potohar superintendent of police to arrest the culprits involved in the incident immediately.

Read more here.

The PPP’s Central Executive Committee meeting was held in Islamabad under the leadership of Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, a party statement said.

The participants of the meeting expressed their confidence in the leadership of the party and discussed a myriad of topics including the general elections and the way forward.

The PTI has established special committees to strategise on government formation in the Centre, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A statement issued after the party’s core committee meeting said the participants agreed to the early completion of the nomination process for important government and parliamentary positions as per the recommendations and strategies proposed by the committees.

Ziaullah Bangash, a former MPA and advisor to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, has refuted media reports regarding Pervez Khattak’s resignation from PTI-Parliamentarians.

“I have talked to Pervez Khattak and he has regarded any such news as rumours,” Bangash told Dawn.com.

Earlier, several television channels reported that Khattak had decided to resign from the party and quit politics.

A PTI delegation comprising central information secretary Raoof Hasan and lawyer Umair Niazi has briefed President Dr Arif Alvi about alleged rigging during the general elections.

A statement from the presidency said that the delegation briefed Alvi on the party’s electoral successes despite its alleged suppression.

PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz held a meeting with independents who recently joined the Nawaz Sharif-led party and congratulated them on the decision.

“Your decision will be the solution to the problems of the people of Pakistan,” she told them, a PML-N statement on X said.

The ECP has said the suspension of mobile services on February 8 created some hindrances in the sending of electronic data by presiding officers.

The caretaker government had suspended cellular services on poll day owing to security concerns. It later stated that the decision was not easy but was taken to prevent any security mishaps.

In a statement today, ECP said the move had severely affected coordination and transport of election material.

The electoral watchdog highlighted that the first result of the 2024 election was received at 2am compared to the 2018 election result which was received at 4am.

“Except for some constituencies, the results of the elections were completed within one and a half days,” the statement said. “The delay in results in some constituencies did not benefit or harm any specific political party,” the ECP concluded.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has refuted allegations pertaining to rigging during the February 8 general elections.

In a press release, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the electoral watchdog said it does not deny the occurrence of a few irregularities and that relevant forms were available for investigation.

“Immediate decisions are being taken on complaints filed,” the statement added. “Despite difficulties and issues, the electoral process was peacefully organised.”

The ECP said conducting the elections smoothly was a “major operation” which was completed successfully.

Istehkam-i-Pakistan leader Aleem Khan has said he is “deeply saddened” by party chief Jahangir Tareen’s decision to resign and quit politics altogether.

In a shocking development, Istehkam-i-Pakistan chief Jahangir Tareen announced his decision to quit politics altogether while Sirajul Haq resigned as the emir of Jamaat-i-Islami.

“I would like to thank everyone who supported me in this election and want to offer my congratulations to my opponents,” said Tareen in a post on X.

“I have immense respect for the will of the people of Pakistan,” he said, offering his gratitude to all IPP members,“ he stated, adding that he would serve the country in a “private capacity”.

Meanwhile, Siraj said he has “accepted the responsibility for defeat” in the February 8 general elections.

Lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir has said that more than 30 petitions have been filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) by his panel “Safeguard Karachi’s Vote” against the “malicious tabulation” of electoral results.

Speaking to the media in Karachi, Nasir said 17 PTI-backed candidates were being supported by the panel, adding that all candidates had similar pleas of malicious tabulation by returning officers misrepresenting the total count of Form 45 in Form 47.

In a post on X, Nasir said the SHC had given the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) till 11am tomorrow to come up with a “lawful and reasonable solution” to the issue.

He said the SHC has cautioned the ECP to not insist on any “flawed results” and to notify the returned candidates as soon as possible otherwise the court would be forced to intervene.

In another shock development, Sirajul Haq has announced his resignation as the chief of Jamaat-i-Islami.

In a post on X, he said he has “accepted the responsibility of defeat” in the February 8 general elections.

Iftikharullah Jan, an independent candidate who won the PK-64 seat from Charsadda, has decided to join the PTI, the party said in a social media post.

Hitting back at allegations of the caretaker government failing to provide a level playing field in the elections, interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar questioned what more was wanted after PTI loyalists were allowed to contest the polls.

“How come you have the largest group in the National Assembly that is being supported by the PTI. They are the single largest group and still, we are being accused that we managed the rigging.”

Kakar said the government maintained that loyalists of Imran Khan were allowed to contest the elections and “that is exactly what happened but there is no appreciation”.

Patron-in-chief of the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party Jahangir Khan Tareen has resigned from the position as party chairman and decided to step away from politics altogether.

“I would like to thank everyone who supported me in this election and want to offer my congratulations to my opponents,” said Tareen in a post on X.

“I have immense respect for the will of the people of Pakistan,” he said, offering his gratitude to all IPP members.

“I wish them the absolute best,” he said.

“I will continue to serve my country to the best of my ability in a private capacity. May the next few years see Pakistan prosper,” he added.

Caretaker Anwaarul Haq Kakar has brushed off criticism from US lawmakers regarding the general elections and said that it is “not that big a deal”.

He said Pakistan had a huge diaspora in the United States, some of whom had “quite an active role in domestic politics and have their own inclinations towards domestic politics here so at times it is quite easy for you to settle there, participate in local fundraising and you’ll be able to influence one, two or a few members of US Congress”.

Kakar said US Congress members did not “represent the gospel truth” and were not the “pedestal of do [and] does [not]”.

He said there were other important issues for them to comment on.

PM Kakar has said the caretaker government continues to hold talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“We are communicating with them and by the way the caretaker government has very good relations with the IMF. They are appreciative that we achieved our tax targets and the rest,” he said at a press conference in Islamabad.

Regarding a new deal with the IMF, the premier said the new government would take the lead on that.

PM Kakar has said he believes the February 8 general elections were held in a “free and fair manner”.

“We did not have any institutional mechanism either in fear or favour of an entity, political group or individual,” he said, adding the same was the stated policy of the caretaker government.

Regarding complaints of irregularities in the electoral process, the premier said a procedure pertaining to this had been provided by Parliament. “But I agree that the future Parliament should focus more on the electoral process, the system of balloting and rest of the issues affiliated with it.

“I personally feel we should have a more robust and financially independent election commission,” PM Kakar added.

Caretaker PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar has said that dialogue and legislation were needed to make the electoral process acceptable to prevent allegations regarding “interference by institutions” and manipulation by political parties.

“You have the floor of the Parliament. This cannot be decided in a talk show but can turn into a talk show […] the real place for this discussion is in Parliament and it has representation across the political spectrum.

“These [parties] need to sit together. This is a matter of the representation of Pakistan’s political class,” he said.

PM Kakar added that he was a strong advocate of legislation to “settle” Pakistan’s democratic process.