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PPP decries denial of ‘arrow’ symbol to party candidates in Punjab

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  • “There is no ambiguity in this Section of the Elections Act 2017.”
  • Haider says independent candidates take advantage of “prejudices”.
  • PPP highlights prevailing trend of electoral symbol denial.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has voiced concerns over the denial of the party’s ‘arrow’ electoral symbol to the ticket holders in various constituencies of Punjab, The News reported on Tuesday.

Taj Haider, in-charge of PPP’s election monitoring cell, wrote to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja to bring to notice the prevailing trend in Punjab of denial of party election symbol to the PPP Parliamentarians ticket-holders and placing them in the category of independent candidates.

“Our serious concerns over such denials may kindly be noted,” he said in the letter.

Haider said that according to Section 66 of the Elections Act 2017, “a declaration before the Returning Officer about his affiliation with a particular political party, if any, along with a certificate from the political party, showing that he is that party’s candidate from that constituency” was the only and the final requirement for “seeking allotment of a prescribed symbol”.

“There is no ambiguity in this Section of the Elections Act 2017, and it should be followed in letter and spirit,” he added. The election cell in-charge said, “You would agree sir, that the whole system of our constitutional democracy is built around the basic structure of political parties.

“Accepted that citizens have the option of contesting elections as independent candidates but, we have repeatedly experienced that the presence of independents in an elected house does open an unfortunate window for horse trading and exerting pressures on the elected independents,” he said in the letter to the CEC.

Haider said independent candidates are often elected by taking advantage of “parochial, racial, tribal, sectarian and provincial prejudices” fault lines among our citizens.

He said under Article 33 of the Constitution, the state must discourage such and similar prejudices. “Instead citizens should be encouraged to vote on the performance, policies and manifestos of political parties,” he added.

The senator said that pushing valid candidates, who are affiliated to a party, and also submitted required documents before returning officers at the time of seeking a prescribed symbol, outside the fold of that party and into the category of independents runs contrary to the provisions of Article 33 of Constitution and the necessary and sufficient requirements of Section 66 of the Election Act 2017.

He requested to the CEC that he should issue general instructions to all ROs and DROs to allot prescribed symbols under Section 66 of the Elections Act 2017, to all candidates who have at the time of seeking a prescribed symbol submitted a certificate from their party regarding their affiliation to that party.

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PTI presents seven nominations to Imran Khan for the judicial commission.

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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has proposed seven individuals to its founder, Imran Khan, for consideration as founding members of PTI for membership in the next Judicial Commission.

None of the nominated individuals are attorneys; rather, the roster includes four Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and three senators.

The proposed MNAs are Umar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Ali Mohammad Khan, and Aamir Dogar, while the senators are Shibli Faraz, Mohsen Aziz, and Aun Abbas Bapi. Sources suggest that the Judicial Commission will include one opposition member from both the National Assembly and the Senate.

The PTI founder will evaluate and endorse two names from the suggested list, which will then be sent to the Speaker for future actions.

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Miller confirmed that Biden’s administration got a letter from a congressman requesting the release of the PTI founder.

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Following his removal as prime minister in 2022, Khan started a protest movement against a coalition of his enemies led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Since then, he has been in jail since August 2023 and has been involved in hundreds of cases.

In response to ARY News’ question over the congressmen’s letter during a media briefing in Washington on Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “We will respond in due course to the members.”

The United States wants to see Pakistan maintain its democracy, Miller stated.

The release of the PTI founder’s wife and sisters was a result of a meeting between the US Deputy Assistant Secretary and a Pakistani government representative in Islamabad, which was further questioned during the press briefing.

“I won’t be addressing that,” Miller said when asked if the United States was involved in their release. Miller did, however, affirm that the conference included the defense of Pakistan’s basic liberties and rights.

Sixty-two members of the US Congress urged President Joe Biden on October 24 to support the release of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, and other political prisoners.

The congressmen, who included well-known Muslim members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, said in their letter that the Biden administration should ask Pakistani authorities to guarantee the safety of PTI founder Imran Khan.

They also underlined that US policy should concentrate on Pakistan’s human rights situation and asked that US ambassadors attend the PTI leader’s incarceration.

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A bill pertaining to the number of Supreme Court justices will soon be presented.

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), recently met, and the inside story of their conversation has revealed important political developments.

The leaders talked about a variety of constitutional and governance matters, including the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, according to sources.

One of the primary outcomes of the conference was the decision to expeditiously introduce a bill in parliament that would increase the number of judges on the Supreme Court. Immediately after it is introduced in parliament, this law is expected to be approved in a matter of days.

In addition, the recently ratified 26th Constitutional Amendment was discussed, with particular attention paid to creating a system for the establishment of constitutional benches at the federal and provincial levels. The formation of constitutional benches would be the subject of formal meetings, they agreed.

Furthermore, the leaders examined the pending measure concerning the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) municipal authority, which has been sent to the appropriate committee for additional assessment.

They also discussed the implementation of an agreement on Punjabi issues between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). According to sources, the conference also discussed the status of an agreement over fund release and administrative jobs in Punjab.

Bilawal Bhutto was reassured by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the federal government would continue to support continued development initiatives in Sindh.

PM Sharif and Bilawal met on Sunday at the premier’s Model Town home in Lahore, where they talked about the newly ratified 26th Constitutional Amendment and pledged to support Pakistan’s parliamentary system and democracy.

As a historic step, Bilawal Bhutto celebrated the 26th Constitutional Amendment’s adoption during the meeting. He said: “We will work together to strengthen democracy and parliament.”

In agreement, Shehbaz credited the amendment’s accomplishment to the combined efforts of all coalition members. He promised that his commitment to the people would not falter and reiterated his commitment to public service.

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