Politics

In a first for PPP, Murtaza Wahab elected Karachi’s mayor

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

KARACHI: In a first, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Murtaza Wahab won Karachi’s mayoral elections, defeating Jamat-e-Islami’s (JI) Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) held the election for the Karachi mayor and deputy mayor of the port city today at the Arts Council of Pakistan.

The mayoral contest was between Wahab and Rehman, as all the other candidates had withdrawn their nomination papers. The respective deputy mayor candidates of the PPP and JI are Salman Abdullah Murad and Saifuddin.

According to the entry register 303 elected members reached the polling station. Three elected members were brought in an armoured personnel carrier.

However, sources within ECP confirmed that 333 members reached the city council while 33 were absent.

The PPP is the largest party in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation City Council, with 155 seats. However, it is short of a simple majority required to have its mayor elected. The PPP has also secured the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, but their combined strength is also short of a simple majority.

The second and third largest parties in the city council are the JI and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with 130 and 63 seats respectively. As the PTI has supported the JI, their combined votes appear to be 193, which is more than the simple majority in the House of 367 members.

However, with the emergence of a forward bloc within the PTI, the result may go either way. In case Wahab wins, it will most probably result in allegations of horse trading by the JI and PTI and the two parties might approach the judiciary to nullify the election.

Lambasting JI for supporting PTI, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said that Jamaat-e-Islami has joined hands with people involved in May 9 riots.

Meanwhile, Rehman questioned the returning officer saying that more than 30 elected members have gone missing.

“There are reports that these persons have been detained and it was the ECP’s responsibility to bring these people,” he said.

PTI rejects mayoral contest

Rejecting the “rigged mayoral contests,” the PTI said that the PPP has preferred rigging over elections from day one.

“The PPP tried to bar elected members from casting votes by arresting them,” the PTI said, warning that Wahab would suffer the same fate as Hamza Shahbaz did in the Punjab chief minister elections.

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Requesting a ban on PTI’s public protest on September 21. LHC dismisses plea

Published

20 hours ago

Farwa

The Lahore High Court’s three-member full bench made the verdict in response to attorney Nadeem Sarwar’s application.

Sarwar begged the LHC to prevent the PTI from holding a public gathering in Lahore tomorrow.

The LHC bench rejected the application on the grounds that the petitioner is not an “affected party.”

On Wednesday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed a lawsuit in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging the arrests made in advance of the party event at Minar-e-Pakistan Lahore.

According to specifics, Sheikh Imtiaz and Yasir Gillani submitted the plea in an attempt to be protected from the detention of its leaders and workers in advance of the September 21 event.

The argument claimed that the Punjabi police are detaining party members in violation of their constitutional right to hold rallies.

In order to allow for a peaceful rally, the petitioners asked the court to order the authorities to cease making arrests.

September 21 is Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s scheduled rally day in Lahore.

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Doesn’t think this system would succeed, according to Ramesh Kumar of PPP

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

“Things seem in control, but they are not really,” he stated. “Shehbaz Sharif has been involved, but I don’t think he can change Pakistan’s destiny,” the PPP chief stated.

“This is the year of the judiciary, and legislation that pertains to it is also being scrutinized,” noted Ramesh Kumar.

“Due to disputes things not being seen to remain in control in the future,” stated the leader of the People’s Party.

“In the absence of internal stability, foreign investment will not come to the country,” he said. “I see things getting very bad and critical over the next three to four months,” Dr. Ramesh Kumar stated.

He said, “There are challenges, I see hardships ahead. Moody’s report comes or not, loans roll over happens or not.”

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Prior to the Lahore demonstration, PTI seeks LHC against arrests.

Published

3 days ago

Farwa

The petition requesting protection against the arrests of its workers and leaders prior to the event set for September 21 was submitted by Sheikh Imtiaz and Yasir Gillani.

The petition asserted that law enforcement is apprehending party members throughout Punjab, infringing upon their fundamental right to assemble for a rally.

The petitioners sought a court order to compel the authorities to cease arrests and for the march to occur peacefully.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is set to have a demonstration in Lahore on September 21.

Previously, multiple PTI MNAs, including party chairman Barrister Gohar, were apprehended by Islamabad police subsequent to the Sangjani demonstration in Islamabad.

Barrister Gohar and Sher Afzal Marwat were apprehended outside, while Zain Qureshi and Sheikh Waqas Akram were detained within the Parliament House.

Furthermore, law enforcement apprehended Owais Ahmed Chatha, Syed Shah Ahmed, Sahibzada Hamid Raza of the Sunni Ittehad Council, Yousaf Khan, Maulana Naseem Shah, and Ahmed Shah Khattak.

Sources indicated that Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq permitted the detention of PTI Members of the National Assembly outside the premises of the house. The situation occurred after police submitted a copy of the FIR filed against the PTI legislators for breaching SOPs during the public protest on September 8.

Furthermore, three complaints have been filed in Islamabad under the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Bill, alleging breaches of the event’s NOC. The FIR identifies 28 individuals, including PTI officials Barrister Gohar Ali, Sher Afzal Marwat, Shoaib Shaheen, Omar Gul, Zartaj Gul, Aamir Mughal, Seemabia Tahir, and Raja Basharat.